Jibbsfest Take Five
by jibbsloversunited
Summary: A collection of Jibbs stories.
1. Intro

Jibbsfest 5

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Thank you for coming back to yet another Jibbsfest!

This months was a joint effort as we had all forgotten who had to set the stipulations!

So…the stipulations:

1) "You did what?" (Anyone can say it)

2) Off Duty (someone or all)

3) Rest of the Team

Sit back, enjoy…sorry its late!

V!

xox


	2. Birthday

Fic Title: Birthday  
Author: I Love NASCAR  
Fandom: NCIS (Jibbs, Tony/Shelby)  
Feedback: PLEASE!  
Disclaimer: The only profit I receive from this story is the feedback you provide. All creative rights to the characters belong to DB, not me. (Except Shelby & Lily which I'll take full credit for.)  
Summary: Gibbs celebrates his birthday.

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Jethro Gibbs closed his eyes, sitting with his back up against the headboard of the bed, listening. He could hear Jenny's voice from down the hall and could almost picture her, holding their little girl in her lap, cuddling with her, their nightly ritual. She spoke the words her own mother had recited, the only memory she still had of her mom.

"Wynken, Blynken and Nod one night sailed off in a wooden shoe, sailed on a river of crystal light into a sea of dew. Where are you going and what do you wish? The old man asked the three. We've come to fish for the herring fish that swim in the beautiful sea. Nets of silver and gold have we, said Wynken, Blynken, and Nod. So all night long, their nets they threw to the stars in the twinklin' foam. Then down from the sky came the wooden shoe, bringing the fisherman home. 'Twas oh so pretty a sail it seemed, as if it could not be. And some folks thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed of sailing the beautiful sea, but I shall name you, the fisherman three, Wynken, Blynken, and Nod. Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes and Nod is a weary head. And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies is a wee one's trundle bed. So shut your eyes while Mommy sings of the wonderful sights that be. And you shall see all the beautiful things as you rock in that misty sea just like the fisherman three. Wynken, Blynken and Nod. Just like the fisherman three, Wynken, Blynken, and Nod."

He heard the soft kiss Jenny laid on Lily's redhead and the click of the lamp being turned off, the glow of the Ariel nightlight still luminating the room. He smelled the light French scent Jenny used for everything from shampoo to shower gel to perfume and felt the silk of the purple gown as she lay next to him in their bed. She kissed his cheek and then his forehead as he opened his eyes, kissing her lips.

"What?" Jenny Shepherd asked, watching his eyes, knowing the look well.

"Let's go away for the weekend. Maybe I can take Friday and Monday off too. We can take a trip, go down to South Carolina and use the house, or let Shelby take Lily and go sailing for the weekend."

"Sounds great." She kissed him again. "We can't."

"Who says?"

"I say." She studied him. "I have a meeting Friday." She looked away, brushing her damp hair out to try to prevent tangles in the morning. "And I planned a party for your birthday."

"You what?"

She turned to face him again. "I have a meeting on Friday."

He shook his head. "Not that. You said you had a party..."

"For your birthday." She studied him, trying to gauge what tactic would be best. "Wouldn't it be nice if everyone could come and settle down, get used to everyone else again..."

"Who's everyone, Jen?" He asked, trying to keep the disapproving look off of his face.

"Shelby and Tony, Ziva and Brent, McGee and Abby, Ducky, Franks, Fornell..."

"The whole gang." He sighed quietly to himself.

"What are you going to do when Lily's old enough to understand birthdays and she wants to know why Daddy refuses to have one?"

"I'll tell her when she's my age, she can refuse to do anything she likes."

"Stubborn..." Jenny whispered, not exactly under her breath. "Everyone's invited. That's it. Case closed. You don't have to do anything for it. Shelby and I are going to do it all..."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because you wouldn't wait until Saturday morning."

He looked at her, knowing she was only trying to do something nice for him. He appreciated the thought but, for some reason, he hated celebrating his own birthdays. He knew that age was just a number and he wouldn't trade Jenny or Lily for anything, but he figured at fifty, his life would be completely different, not better, not worse, just different.

He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Thank you."

"You mean it?"

He nodded. "I mean it. It'll be good for everyone to have some time out of work to get their bearings again." She nodded, slightly smiling, curling up with him again, his hand running up and down her side.

"Shelby..." The blonde rolled her eyes, using her foot to close the refrigerator door, her hands full with the things for the grill. "I can't find the drinks."

"They're right there in the cooler, Tony."

"All I see are water and soft drinks." Tony DiNozzo moved some ice around.

"Exactly. We've got a two year old coming. This is going to be a dry party," Shelby Gibbs drew out her words a little longer than they should have been.

He looked at her like she was crazy. "You're inviting Franks, Fornell, and your brother to a dry party."

"It was Jenny's idea. Besides, those three and alcohol provide stories that I'm not old enough to hear, much less Lily." She cleared her throat and he jumped up, opening the outside door for her, going out to the deck. "Did you..."

"I closed the gate to the pool and hot tub. There's no way she can get in there." She looked at him. "And I promise I won't let McGee fall in again."

"He didn't fall...you pushed him." She tried to hide a smile, remembering the last time they'd all been together, the Memorial Day before Jenny's disappearance.

"Me?" Tony tried to mimic the innocent look that Lily had mastered, but failed miserably. "Never." He couldn't keep a straight face and started to laugh, then trying to cover it.

Shelby laughed, unable to keep it hidden anymore, putting the platter down, putting her arms around him. "Just try and keep out of trouble today." She kissed him. "Be nice to Probie...and to Brent."

"I like Brent." He would never admit it, but he liked McGee as well. He just didn't have as much in common with him as he did the new addition to the team. "I'll be nice." He paused. "Hey, do you think Gibbs would let us roast him?"

Shelby moved quickly, slapping the back of his head gently with one hand. "I knew I shouldn't have let you watch that Pamela Anderson roast. You know it was a repeat, right?"

"Doesn't matter," he muttered under his breath, getting The Look, but not another head slap, both knowing that it didn't matter who Tony looked at or flirted with. They'd been together far too long to let something like that come between them.

Gibbs looked at Jenny and back up at his sister and Tony. "I changed my mind. You two go."

"It's your birthday party, Jethro. You can't just not show up." She grabbed the keys, going back to the backseat to get Lily out, holding the little girl's hand so she wouldn't run off. "And you certainly can't sit out in the car for hours."

"Anyone ever tell you how mean you are?" He teased, getting out of the car.

"Oh, I know. I'm a..." She looked at Lily. "Witch."

"Mommy, you're not mean," Lily said seriously. "You're nice. Nice Mommy."

Jenny laughed, hugging her daughter. "Thank you, baby." Gibbs walked with them up to the picnic table where Jenny finally let Lily go, watching her nearly knock Shelby over.

"Hello to you too." Shelby picked the girl up, balancing her on her hip, watching Tony get Jenny a bottle of water and Gibbs some sweet tea. "How's Lily today?"

"Great!" The little girl's face lit up.

"That is excellent news," Shelby said, not managing to hide her smile. "What about Mommy and Daddy?"

"He was just calling me mean," Jenny said, teasing Gibbs slightly.

"You know you can 'Gibbs' him, right?" Shelby asked, referring to the slap to the back of the head that her brother had made famous.

Jenny made a face. "Not on his birthday." She looked at her daughter, feeling a slight stab of jealousy at the closeness between Shelby and Lily, brushing it away, knowing it was only natural, as much time as they spent together, and didn't lessen her daughter's love for her in the least. "Did you sing your song for Shelby?"

Lily began to sing the 'happy birthday' song, getting some of the words mixed up, but Shelby and Tony clapped just the same. "Beautiful, baby. Perfect."

They played poker until the other guests showed up, then baseball, waiting for the food to finish cooking. There wasn't enough room at the picnic table, so Ducky sat with Franks and Fornell on one side of the table, Lily between her parents on the other. The younger couples gathered around in a circle surrounding the table, in beach chairs, a chaise from the pool area, blankets, all talking at the same time, sounding like a huge, noisy family. Brent Langer, the only member of the temporary team that had stayed, was the newest addition to the group but even he seemed at ease.

After eating, McGee, Abby, Brent, Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs played basketball, Tony and Brent taking turns explaining the game to Ziva as they went along, although she picked it up quickly. Lily sat out of the way, watching, clapping when she thought something was exciting, Gibbs always keeping an eye on her as she talked to her teddy bear. Franks, Fornell, and Ducky watched the game, the three men telling stories to each other, each trying to top the other, although none of them would ever confess. Jenny helped clean-up before watching Shelby replace Abby in the game.

When basketball was over, they played cards again, playing a game affectionately called bullshit around coffee-flavored ice cream and fudge-flavored cake. Lily crawled into Gibbs' lap, getting sleepy, but not about to admit it, not wanting to leave the party and miss something. Gibbs, Jenny, Franks, and Shelby settled down with coffee, the rest with soft drinks or water, as Gibbs began to methodically open his gifts.

The first thing he opened was a large quantity of his favorite coffee beans. "They're supposed to be a year supply, but, with you, probably a month," McGee said quietly, glad that Gibbs seemed to like them.

"Open mine next," Abby said, giving Gibbs a large, oddly shaped present. He opened it and laughed, kissing the top of Abby's head. "It's like my hippo...you like it?"

Gibbs smiled, seeing not the stuffed animal, but the thought the girl had put into getting him a Marine bulldog. Abby was like having another daughter and, under all the goth, he saw a little girl, around Lily's age, that needed protecting, defending, who would never hurt a fly, the same one who had nearly lost her job protecting the old German shepherd from a case she'd appropriately named Jethro.

He opened a little one next, a Swiss Army knife with all the attachments that he knew was from Ziva. He smiled at her, thanking her, seeing not the rigid Israeli he'd been forced to accept when Jenny had put her on his team, but another daughter, a close friend, someone he could depend on. She was the most sensible of his team and probably the one who could defend herself the best. He had missed her in the five months when she'd been gone to Israel and was glad she was back.

He opened the next, an autographed baseball he knew was from Brent. He remembered the first time the young man had worked for him. The first thing they had agreed on was not their jobs, but baseball. He liked the old classics, Nolan Ryan, Babe Ruth, Cy Young. The friendship had been built off of that.

He looked at Fornell after opening the old bottle of bourbon. "It's better than the rotgut you keep in your basement." Gibbs smiled, remembering all the times that the two had been down in that basement, talking over cases, over each other's lives. At first it had felt strange, being close friends with the man who'd stolen one of his ex-wives, but the fact of the matter was, if he hadn't divorced Diane, he wouldn't have found Jenny.

It was no surprise when he opened Franks' present to find a case of Mexican beer, the same brand that they'd drank so often on the boat, talking of Jenny. His friend was the one who had helped him move on after Shannon's death, helped him deal with the fact that he'd never fallen out of love with Jenny, helped him realize he needed to do something to correct that, kept Jenny safe those months in hiding. He had been there when he'd recovered his memory after the explosion and he knew he owed his life to his friend, in more ways than one.

He grew quiet after opening Ducky's, holding a picture frame in his hands. Jenny got up and went around him to look, seeing herself asleep on a boat, her head on Gibbs's shoulder, his arms around her, and recognized when it was taken, that time she had commandeered a boat to get him and Ducky to safety. She hadn't even realized such a picture existed, but she loved it instantly. "Paris," she whispered, her hand on his shoulder, as he nodded. It was Ducky that held the key to his past with Jenny, having seen most of it firsthand. He'd been his best friend for more years than he cared to count. Just like with Jenny, no words were needed between the two old friends and very few were used.

He opened Tony's next, missing the look that passed between Tony and Jenny. Both they and Shelby frequently compared him to John Wayne, the reason why all three liked his movies so much. They were among the few movies that Gibbs watched and, coming from Tony, that meant a lot.

"Shelby said you didn't have them," Tony said, searching his boss' face, trying to determine whether he liked them or not.

"I don't." Gibbs smiled. "They're my favorites." He studied Tony and, like Ziva, was glad he was back, not only because he'd missed his team, but because, like it or not, Tony was part of his family. He loved Shelby, took care of her, and would never allow anything to hurt her. That, alone, made Gibbs a fan.

He opened an envelope, a picture and a piece of paper floating out. He read the piece of paper first before studying the picture. "A week of babysitting whenever you and Jen need to get away," Shelby said. "And the deck and porch swing." He nodded, a lump in his throat. For months, he'd been talking about building a deck in his backyard where he and Jenny could watch Lily play. The picture showed not only the promised deck he'd never gotten around to, but a handmade wooden swing big enough for two. He looked at his baby sister, holding Tony's hand, the agent's arm around her, and saw not the little girl she'd been, but the woman she'd become. It made him uncomfortable to think of her as an adult, but at the same time, made him very proud. Her mother had died at a young age and their father had never been around much. Aside from a few years she'd lived with her grandmother, he'd raised her almost as a daughter, but, still, to this day, he wasn't sure who had been taking care of who.

He opened the next one in a gift bag, pulling out first a painting that Lily had made. It was obvious that Jenny, Shelby, or both, had put the little girl's hands in paint and then press them to the paper. What stirred his heart were the words 'I love you Daddy' spelled out above the hands. He pulled out a Build-a-Bear teddy from her favorite store, complete with a Marine uniform. Jenny pressed on the bear and a heartbeat sound emerged.

"She found it when we went shopping," Abby said quietly, smiling at the little girl, curled up asleep in her father's lap.

Gibbs kissed into Lily's hair, keeping his head down long enough to keep the tears at bay, finally opening Jenny's present, not knowing what to expect, but that was frequently the case with her. He'd been with her nearly a decade, off and on, and he still never knew what she was up to. He pulled out another picture frame, of him holding Lily on her first night home from the hospital. Although he hadn't known she was his daughter then, he'd always loved her as if she were. He looked at the piece of paper, noting the father's name on the copy of the birth certificate, looking up at Jenny, his eyes connecting with hers, first in wonderment, then amazement, and finally smiled, kissing her, not caring who saw, holding Lily a little closer to him.

"Those weren't your only gifts, you know," Jenny said after they'd come back home, put Lily to bed, and he'd gone to take his shower. He didn't even have to look outside the door; he knew she'd be sitting there, her knees tucked to her, her back against the wall.

"What were my other ones?"

"I bought a present...I'll put it on later."

He smiled in excitement and anticipation. "Would you care to describe it?"

"No." She grinned as he groaned almost under his breath. "But there's something else..." She paused. "Remember that meeting I had yesterday."

"Uh huh," he said, only partially listening, meetings not being first and foremost on his mind.

"I quit."

The only sound in the bathroom was the water hitting his skin and the wall. "You did what?" He finally managed to say.

"I quit NCIS." She paused. "I screwed around too much of my time when I had that job. I loved it, but...I want to be a mom for a little while. I want to be...whatever we are. And none of that's going to happen if I stay in that job."

He turned the water off, grabbing a towel, wrapping it around himself before getting out. "Jenny..." He finally sat in the floor across from her. "You worked your...You worked hard for that job. You deserve it. More than Vance, more than anyone else you want to name. You can still be a mom. You were before."

"Shelby was more of a mom to Lily than I was. Don't deny it. I wasn't there for her. I wasn't there for you. I don't know what we're doing...I only know that the only place I want to be is with you, with our little girl. If I change my mind later, there are other options." She paused, not knowing how he would take the rest. "She's the only little girl I'm ever going to have, Jethro. The only chance I'm ever going to get to be a mommy. And I'm going to make damned sure I do the best job possible by her. And by us."

He nodded, still not sure. "Jen..."

"The job almost killed me. I got too wrapped up in it. Maybe it would have happened anyway, I don't know, but I only know I'm...retiring."

"Going on a margarita safari, are we?" He teased, kissing her. "I think it's great, Jen. I really do." He paused. "I'm proud of you." She grew quiet. "What?"

"Trying to remember the last time you said that."

He smiled, knowing he should have said it more when she had the job instead of giving her a hard time. It had been hard to see her as his boss; she would always be a part of him, more than a partner, more than a best friend. "I love you, Jen."

"That'll be the day," she said in her best John Wayne impression as he laughed, pulling her closer, into his lap, getting her wet in the process.


	3. Surprises In The Sun

Author – CafPow

Title – Surprises in The Sun

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Surprises in the Sun

'Abby, where are we going?' Gibbs moaned from the passenger seat.

'You'll find out soon,' he frowned at her and looked out of the window; he realized they were leaving DC and heading towards Maryland along Pennsylvania avenue. 'Abby, where are you taking me?'

'Be patient my silver fox, and you'll soon find out.' She grinned widely as she continued down the highway.

'Not Andrews Air Force base?' She shook her head.

'I'm not telling you Gibbs.'

Gibbs glared and frowned as they passed Andrews AFB ten minutes later, he fumed, sighing loudly like a balloon deflating for the next ten minutes before he spoke again.

'Marlboro Race track?' He asked as he spotted the sign speeding past them.

'Gibbs stop trying to guess, it's a surprise, it's fun,' Abby stared resolutely out of the window as Gibbs muttered under his breath, wishing he had more space inside Abby's Ford.

'Chesapeake Beach?' Gibbs asked after seeing the signs at the intersection, Abby flushed.

'It was supposed to be a surprise, please act surprised.' Gibbs rolled his eyes and smiled.

'For you Abby, anything.' Abby grinned as she pulled into the parking lot ten minutes later and swung the car around to a small group of people waiting beside a Mini Cooper and Porsche boxster. Gibbs glared at them as he climbed out of the passenger seat.

'Ready for your big adventure boss?' Tony asked grinning from ear to ear, Gibbs stare made him retreat to his car and fetch his bag silently.

'What are we doing here? There a body I don't know about?' McGee shook his head and looked to Ziva for help.

'We, er, we um, we,' he stammered before Ziva interrupted him.

'We wanted you to join us on our pick nit.'

'She mean's picnic boss and it was Abby's idea.' McGee finished, looking nervous. Gibbs jerked his head and shrugged his shoulders slightly.

'Okay,' McGee stared at him as if waiting for the explosion.

'You're not mad?'

'Hell no, it's kinda nice to be wanted.' McGee smiled and looked around at the others.

'Shall we head down to the beach?'

'No, lets stay in the parking lot all day McDumber,' Tony called from the trunk of the mini, McGee turned to glare at him, he opened the trunk of his Porsche and pulled out a big umbrella and a rolled up blanket. Once all the trunks were emptied they headed down onto the beach and found a spot to put their things.

McGee unrolled the blanket which was 3 meters square and set the umbrella on one side, the others put their beach bags and towels around the edges and Gibbs just stared holding his sneakers beside him. He dodged the volleyball Tony tossed at McGee and glared at the culprit before looking at the cool box Abby was moving under the umbrella. It was only when the others were removing their outer clothes to reveal swim wear that he realized he had no suitable clothing to wear. He rolled up his jeans and sat down on the blanket.

Tony looked up and saw the tiny khaki green bikini that Ziva was wearing, it tied around the neck and a had a silver buckle around the waist, his eyes then darted over to Abby and found she was wearing, a surprise, surprise, black two piece, high-leg briefs and a tankini top. He looked behind him and feigned jumping back in fright.

'Put it away, put it away!' he called shielding his eyes.

'What?' McGee replied irritably looking down at his blue checked swim shorts.

'The white, its blinding me!' McGee glared at him and nodded at Tony's pink and navy floral cargo shorts and raised his eyebrows.

'And you say I set off gaydar.'

'Come on you guys, lets play volleyball,' Abby shouted holding the volleyball and jumping up and down on the sand grinning from ear to ear.

'I'm gonna kick your ass Probie,' Tony called as he started marking out a court on the sand with Abby bouncing around him.

'Is it done yet? Is it done? Can we play yet? Can we play? Can we play yet?'

'Yes, we can play Abs, you joining team DiNozzo?' Abby nodded as McGee and Ziva took their positions opposite them.

'You're goin' down David, you're goin' down.' Tony taunted as he threw the ball into the air and hit it across the makeshift court.

Gibbs lay down on the blanket and watched his team laughing and running around for a few minutes before he closed his eyes and settled himself for a snooze. Not long after he heard a car engine stopping behind him in the direction of the parking lot and listened to the sounds of a door opening and closing followed by a second. He heard footsteps coming towards him and opened one eye before closing it again quickly.

He heard someone place a bag down close to him and a zipper being pulled; he opened one eye and looked up at the figure. He suppressed a smile as a pair of denim shorts slid towards him revealing a pair of smooth golden thighs and a tight butt he knew very well, clad in a pair of red swim shorts. He watched as the red kaftan was slowly removed and admired the now exposed back, he was staring at her stomach as she turned only for his view to be obstructed by arms folding across her chest.

'How long have you been watching me?' She asked frowning at him.

'Long enough.'

He sat up grinning as she bent down to fold her shorts and kaftan, he found himself staring at her cleavage in the red halter-neck bikini and slapped himself around the head. She sat down beside him and hugged her knees to her chest.

'What?' He looked away quickly.

'Nothing,' she watched him for a few seconds before putting a pair of sunglasses on and settling herself beside him.

She closed her eyes and felt her hand brush against his, she smiled inside and relaxed for a few minutes before Gibbs sat up hastily beside her.

'Where's your protection detail?' He demanded, she sighed knowing what was coming and decided to get it over with.

'Ditched them.' She placed her hands on her stomach and tried to ignore the fact he was glaring at her, she sighed and opened one eye as DiNozzo shouted over at them.

'Hey, that's my car!' She sat up and turned to face Gibbs, the other four came over to join them.

'Did you take my car keys earlier?' She nodded.

'I saw you put them in your drawer after accidentally overhearing your plans for today, so I borrowed your keys and drove your car here.'

'What was wrong with your own car?' He asked frowning at her, 'director,' he added quietly at the look on her face, she gave him a perfect Gibbs stare.

'Don't call me that, I ditched my protection detail so I could have a day to myself, I don't need you broadcasting who I am.'

'Oh, your car would attract attention that mine doesn't?' Jenny nodded looking back round at Gibbs who was still staring at her.

'Something I can help you with Jethro?' He shook his head and lay back down on the blanket and closed his eyes.

'Is that a tattoo Jenny?' he pursed his lips and looked around at Abby's words. She was pointing at Jenny's ankle, he didn't need to look, he knew what was there, he nodded and lay back down.

'How did you know she had a tattoo Gibbs?' Abby asked, he shrugged his shoulders and pretended to fall asleep.

'Aww that's so sweet, I can't quite make out the name though,' Gibbs grinned to himself, it was a tiny heart on the inside of her right ankle with a ribbon around it, and his name was on the ribbon.

'Are you two going to come and play volleyball with us?' He heard the excited Goth asking and by the amount of sand hitting his legs he deduced she was bouncing around again. He continued with his pretending to be asleep and kept his breathing regular as he felt someone leaning over him.

'No thanks Abby, Jethro must be tired, he is getting old, I'll stay here and keep him company.' He made a mental note to punish her for that later and lay still while she lay down next to him, her arm resting against his.

They lay in silence both awake but pretending to be asleep; one would open his or her eyes and sneak a glance at the other before closing them again, only for the other to do the same back. Gibbs spoke quietly.

'Don't call me old,' he opened his eyes and turned his head to the side, he looked into the beautiful face before him. She was smiling widely, her hair was loose and the waves framed her face, her scarlet lips tempting him to come closer. She was lying on her stomach, resting her head on her arms, she watched him as he watched her for a few moments before she looked away and pushed herself up.

'I er, I brought you something,' she muttered, opening her bag and pulling a paper bag out. She tossed it to him and he pulled out a pair of camouflage swimming shorts from it, he raised his eyebrow at her, 'I didn't think you would appreciate lurid pink flowers like Tony has on his, and plain navy was just too plain, now these just screamed Jethro.' He sighed and pulled his towel around him and slid his jeans and underwear off, Jenny looked out at the sea as he changed.

'You decent yet?'

'I'm always decent Jen, I didn't think flashing at the rest of the beach was a good idea,' she turned around grinning at him.

'Now you have no excuse not to join in,' she stood up and grabbed his arm, pulling him up. He resisted to begin with, enjoying watching her struggle but he gave in and stood up.

'Fine, I'll come, but not for long,' she grinned triumphantly, dragging him over to the others.

'Come on Gibbs, you're on our team,' Abby grinned and hurried to drag him over to her side of the court. Tony threw the ball at him.

'You can serve boss,' Gibbs nodded and looked over at the three facing him, 'you ready?' They nodded, McGee looking deadly serious, Ziva relaxed with her knees bent ready and Jenny grinning as she bent forwards slightly.

'Give it all ya got.'

'You asked for it,' he shouted as he threw the ball into the air and jumped up to whack the ball towards them.

Forty minutes later and they all retreated back to their little camp, Jenny and Gibbs sitting down and sighing, Gibbs wearing a triumphant smile and Jenny a small scowl.

'You said give it all ya got,' she frowned at him.

'That last point was a fluke, and if McGee hadn't stepped on the crab claw he'd have hit the ball back and that other time when Ziva and I collided, if we'd called for it earlier you wouldn't have won.'

'Excuses, excuses; always the same with you Jen.' She glared at him.

'What about you Mr That was the week after I took a bullet?' She replied in a whiny voice, he frowned back and stared at her. The others watched in amusement as Jenny stared back and Gibbs backed down for the first time. He opened the cool box and pulled out a couple of cans of soda.

'Drink?' She nodded and he passed her the can, she opened it and took a sip as Gibbs did the same.

'Pass us a can boss,' Tony held out his hand as he sat down on the blanket in the bright sunshine, Gibbs tossed him a can and seeing the others watching it, tossed out three more.

'Thanks Gibbs,' Abby smiled as she popped open her can and took a long swig.

'You know what, I'm hungry,' Tony stated to the rest of the group.

'You are always hungry Tony,' Ziva replied earning her a replica of the Gibbs stare. 'I saw a Papa John's Pizza near where we parked,' he added hopefully.

'Tony,' Abby whined, 'we packed a picnic, we're supposed to eat that!'

'Oh yeah,' Tony headed over to the cool box and began tossing plastic containers at Ziva, 'ooh pasta, and potato salad and chocolate brownies, and, oh' he gasped, 'who bought the Ben and Jerry's? McPasty?' McGee glared at him.

'Yes I provided the ice cream,' Tony lifted out a pile of black plates and bowls and looked over at Abby.

'I wonder who packed these,' she took them from him and started arranging the food in the middle of the blanket.

'What is that?' Tony asked looking at one of the tubs warily and practically throwing it at McGee, McGee opened it and sniffed it.

H'ummus dip?'

'Yes McGee, and there are some tacos to go with it,' Ziva replied taking the container from him and placing it beside the plates.

'Hey salsa too, and another pasta? Oooh barbeque chicken strips and salad and wraps, who did all this?'

'Me and Ziva, and don't forget the cheese and mayonnaise,' Abby grinned as Gibbs face lit up at the wide selection of food.

'What's in this?' he asked pointing at one of the containers of pasta, it had a red sauce with it.

'Its Mediterranean style, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, olives, and chunks of goats cheese, and the other one is a creamy sauce with bacon, chicken, ham and mozzarella.' Abby smiled offering Gibbs a serving spoon, he spooned a small amount of each pasta into his bowl and began to tuck in.

Jenny began to create a tortilla wrap using some salad, barbeque chicken strips and mayonnaise and was about to take a bite when she saw Tony's bowl.

'Ergh,' she muttered causing Ziva to look over at Tony, 'Tony that is disgusting,' she pulled a face at him. He looked up at her.

'What?' he asked thickly through his mouthful of food, 'you have got pasta and hummus and salsa and mayonnaise and potato salad and everything all mixed in together.'

He pulled a face at her and shoveled more food into his mouth obstinately, Gibbs rolled his eyes and McGee frowned at him.

'What McPasty?' He flicked an olive at McGee who glared at him, he continued flicking olives at McGee across the picnic and eventually McGee snapped.

'Hey, will you stop that!'

'Stop what? Probilicious,' Tony stared at McGee waiting for a reaction, when he didn't get one he flicked another olive at him.

'You do that once more and I'll, I'll, I'll'

'Stutter at me? I'm scared probie.' Jenny sighed loudly and shook her head.

'You are so juvenile.'

'What me?' Tony asked flicking more olives across at McGee. McGee glared at Tony; he filled a spoon with mayonnaise and pulled it back threatening to fire it across the blanket.

'Don't provoke me.'

'You wouldn't dare,' Tony jibed; Jenny looked from one to the other.

'Tim put it down,' he looked at her, grinned, and released the mayonnaise into the air; it hit Tony between the eyes.

Tony fired salsa at McGee and McGee fired more mayonnaise, both hit Jenny, the salsa on her cheek and the mayonnaise on her thigh.

'Timothy! Put the mayonnaise down! And Tony, don't even think about it!' Jenny practically shouted at them as they both re-armed. 'Put the spoons down,' she ordered, her eyebrows raised and looking deadly serious, both cowered under her gaze and lowered their spoons. 'Tony take your food and sit one meter away, McGee do the same, do not speak to each other, do not touch each other, do not even look at each other, do I make myself clear?'

McGee shuffled away and Tony mirrored his actions.

'Crystal,' he muttered looking sheepish.

'Yes mom,' Tony replied sarcastically. Jenny glared at him as she began wiping the salsa and mayonnaise from her skin, Abby sat in a shocked silence.

'Whoa, that was scary.' Ziva started laughing and Gibbs chuckled to himself.

'Nicely handled Jen, you missed a bit,' he wiped the speck of salsa from her cheek with his little finger and smiled as he bit into a strip of barbeque chicken.

Ten minutes later McGee started protesting from his patch of sand,

'Stop that,'

'Stop what,' Tony replied,

'Stop staring at me,'

'I'm not staring,'

'Yeah you are,'

'Why would I wanna stare at you, McWobble,' Tony waited for the reaction eagerly, McGee glared at him seething, 'see you got nothing, McGeek,' McGee looked around him and grinned,

'Oh, I got something, I got your stupid Hawaiian shirt, oh look, its dry clean only, I wonder what a bit of salt water would do to it.'

'Not my magnum replica, 100 cotton, made in Hawaii, shirt,' McGee smirked,

'Try me.'

Tony made a sound like a cat being strangled as McGee got to his feet holding the shirt,

'Tim give me the shirt, Tony sit down,' Jenny told them warningly as Tony headed towards McGee,

'Tim,' she repeated as McGee ran towards the water with Tony chasing after him.

'You're dead Probie!' Jenny closed her eyes and shook her head.

'How do you ever get any cases solved?'

'Gibbs whacks them around the back of the head,' Abby replied nodding.

'Course he does,' she looked at Gibbs, and smirked.

Jenny got to her feet and pulled her kaftan over her head, she started walking away as Gibbs called her back.

'Where are you going?'

'Find a restroom,' Gibbs got to his feet.

'I'll come with you,' Jenny frowned and folded her arms,

'I don't need to be chaperoned Jethro,' the look on his face told her he was coming whether she liked it or not. She sighed as he reached her and led her off the beach and to the parking lot,

'Over there,' he pointed to one of the buildings,

'Why does everyone think I need adult supervision to pee?' Gibbs started to laugh.

'Adult supervision?'

'Well, I'm never allowed to go without an adult supervising on the other side of the door.'

'It's only for your safety,' Jenny rolled her eyes and headed into the ladies, 'I'm going next door, you got two minutes or I come in after you,'

'Yeah, yeah,'

'Yeah, Jen.' Exactly two minutes later Gibbs knocked on the door, 'you done Jen?'

'Give me a chance Jethro.'

'Come on, hurry up,'

'Can I pull my shorts back up before I open the door?' Jenny asked sarcastically,

'Just hurry up.' A few seconds later the toilet was flushed and Jenny opened the door;

'Look, all in one piece,' she grinned twirling around to show him she was perfectly fine. He frowned at her,

'Just hurry up and wash your hands.' Jenny took her time washing and drying her hands and then started checking her hair in the mirror.

Gibbs growled, 'your hair is perfect, come on,' he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her to the door,

'Thank you,' she smiled, 'pity your hair is sticking up like a porcupine.' Gibbs touched his hair nervously and leaned over to look in the mirror, his hair was fine, he turned to Jenny's grinning face,

'Made you look.'

She turned and stepped outside into the bright sunshine, her highlights shone gold and her red hair was more vibrant that usual. Gibbs suddenly had an overwhelming urge to run his fingers through the shiny wavy locks but contented himself with leading her back down to the beach. They stopped as they neared the others, Tony was holding his shirt in his hands, his face red with anger, McGee was spitting sand out of his mouth and looked like a sand monster.

'What happened?'

'He dunked my shirt, so I dunked him.'

'Then shoved my head in the sand, boss he'd have killed me if Ziva hadn't…' McGee stopped and looked over at Ziva cautiously,

'Ziva what?' Gibbs asked looking at his team questioningly.

'Ziva, er,'

'Are we talking red light behavior?' Jenny asked staring directly at her friend.

'Yes, we are,' Ziva replied, not the slightest bit ashamed she added, 'I jumped onto his back and…'

'And licked Tony's cheek,' Abby jumped in grinning triumphantly. Tony pulled a face,

'It was disgusting boss,' Gibbs rolled his eyes,

'would you all please stop grabbing each other, I do not want to have to fill in incident reports when someone gets hurt either in an embarrassing place or because of what they were doing with someone else,' Jenny turned to him,

'Why not, I'd love to read them, especially as it would be Tony in the embarrassing situation with the embarrassing injury, wouldn't it, its not as if its new is it Tony?' Tony went bright red,

'You promised you wouldn't tell him,' Jenny opened her mouth in mock shock, and held her hand to her throat,

'Me, what did I say, when did I mention the jack Russell?' Tony pointed and jumped up and down,

'just then!'

'Jack Russell?' Abby grinned, 'spill,' Tony inflated like a balloon before sighing loudly in defeat,

'Fine tell them.' Jenny sat down on the blanket and grinned up at Tony,

'Tony made a friend on an op, a little jack Russell, it um got attracted to a certain part of him and was licking him,' Ziva snorted, 'oh and he liked it yes,' Jenny sniggered, 'well his reaction seemed to suggest so, then the dog bit him.' Gibbs just stared at Tony in disbelief,

'A dog bit you on your…' McGee asked as if to clarify it in his mind, his face broke into a huge grin before he started to laugh. Abby was almost in tears,

'It bit you there, oh tony, are they okay?' she asked nodding towards his crotch. Tony held his shirt lower over his swimming shorts,

'Yes they are fine Abby,'

'What did you do to the dog?' she asked scrutinizing him with her eyes,

'I er I um I, I, I kicked it,' Abby's face fell.

'You kicked a poor defenseless little dog,' she walked up to him and hit his arm, 'that is for picking on animals smaller than you.' Gibbs rolled his eyes and stared into the sky,

'I have to wonder about your sanity sometimes Abs,'

'I'm insane Gibbs; you of all people should know that.'

'mmm.'

'I am going to sit down on the sand and enjoy the peace and quiet, that means no arguing or squabbling, so play nice,' Gibbs stated before settling himself on his back on the warm sand. Jenny lay down on the blanket and Abby picked up the volley ball,

'Tony and Ziva versus Tim and me?' The others agreed grudgingly and headed away from Gibbs and Jenny.

Jenny lay quietly thinking, she barely heard the shrieks coming from Tony as Ziva attacked him or the squeals from McGee as Abby pushed him into the sea, the first thing she heard was snoring. She grinned as she saw Gibbs was fast asleep with his mouth open catching flies; she looked around and saw no one was watching before creeping over to him.

She sneaked back to her side of the blanket once she had completed her evil plan and closed her eyes pretending to be asleep, within a few minutes however she really did fall asleep.

Gibbs opened his eyes and tried to look around him, he struggled for a few moments before realizing he couldn't move. He spotted red hair out of the corner of his eye and called out quietly,

'Jen, Jen, Jenny, Jenny, Jenny!' He shouted, he heard a groan and

'Huh,' before footsteps came towards him kicking sand into his eyes and mouth.

'Gibbs!' Abby's face appeared several inches from his, 'who buried you?'

Gibbs was buried from his neck down in sand; Tony was doing his best not to laugh and McGee was staring down at him in awe of the person who had managed this mean feat.

'I don't know I was aslee…' he frowned and turned his eyes to his left, Abby followed his gaze, Tony grinned,

'High five Jenny, that was amazing,' Jenny sat up and laughed at Gibbs face surrounded by sand.

'Unbury me Jen,' Gibbs growled. Abby's jaw dropped. She turned to Jenny, her mouth wide with shock,

'How could you bury Gibbs!' She shook her head before starting to unbury Gibbs, she brushed the sand from his shoulders as he glared at Jenny.

'Are you going to sit there laughing or help her?' Jenny raised her eyebrow at him asking him without speaking, _'oh, do you want me to touch you?'_ and he furrowed his brow, 'just unbury me,' Tony looked from one to the other not knowing the unspoken question between his bosses.

Jenny leaned over him nudging Abby out of the way and gently removed the rest of the sand from his shoulders and stopping briefly as she reached his chest. Ziva spotted the look in her friend's eyes as she looked into Gibbs face,

'lets play another round of volleyball,' she stated rather than asked dragging Tony away and giving McGee a look that plainly told him to follow her or else. He grabbed Abby by the arm and led her away; trying to stop her from staring as Jenny slowly removed the sand from Gibbs stomach.

Gibbs was practically free from the waist up but he lay still as Jenny stared at his stomach her fingers gently caressing the skin below his belly button, almost absent-mindedly. She looked up into his face and found him watching her; he slowly sat up, the loose sand falling from his arms and chest, his fingers brushed against her thigh as his eyes locked with hers. They stared at each other for a few moments in silence before Gibbs spoke,

'I need to wash all this sand off,' he grinned, a glint in his eye. Jenny recognized that look and started to back away from him, 'and I think some payback is in order,' she saw his eyes flash and backed away quicker than before,

'Oh no, oh no, no!' She got to her feet and held up a finger pointing at him, 'no, don't you dare, don't you dare!' she squealed as he pounced at her and she started to run along the sand.

Tony, Ziva, McGee and Abby all stopped and turned around as Gibbs chased Jenny towards them and grabbed her around the waist as she slipped on the smooth wet sand. He lifted her off her feet and carried her towards the water, as he stepped deeper into the waves she held on to him and tried to lift herself higher in his grip. He was holding her with one arm around her back and the other under her knees; she gripped him tightly around the shoulders and squealed loudly as he lowered her bottom into the water.

He turned around to the others,

'Should I drop her in?' they all grinned, Tony nodded grinning widely and Abby nodded giggling, both were laughing at the huge wave creeping up behind Gibbs and Jenny, soaking them both as it broke on them. They appeared out of the water coughing and laughing, up to their chests in water; Jenny plunged both her hands into the water and threw up a spray at Gibbs. He laughed and splashed her hard too making her laugh even harder, he loved her laugh and he loved that he had made her laugh again. She hadn't heard him laugh like this for years, she loved that she was making him laugh.

He stopped splashing her and waded close to her; under the surface of the water he placed his hand on her waist and stroked her smooth wet skin gently with his fingertips. Jenny looked down at the water and allowed her fingers to find the waist band of his swim shorts, she looked up from the shining surface of the water and followed the glistening drops up over his chest and neck to his nose and cheeks. He raised his left hand and stroked her chin with his thumb,

'What are you doing?' she breathed hardly daring to believe it,

'Something I should have done three years ago,' he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers for a second. He pulled away when he heard shouting and whooping and looked around to find Abby doing a celebration dance with the volleyball and McGee frowning at Tony standing before him with his hand out. Ziva was just smiling at them, she looked around at Tony and her face fell, she was still smiling but it was sad smile.

Jenny recognized that smile; it was the one Ziva wore when she knew something that Jenny didn't. She turned back to Gibbs and bit her lip slightly making him smile and laugh at her before she pressed her lips to his and allowed him to gently lift her top lip with his bottom lip and gently slide his tongue inside her mouth to touch hers.

Suddenly they were soaked once more as another wave hit them and nearly knocked them off their feet; Tony laughed and made a hand movement as if he was whipping something,

'Whipeesh, down boy! Save it for Mitch and CJ,' Jenny rolled her eyes at him and Gibbs shook his head.

'Did he just compare us to David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson?' Jenny asked,

'Uhuh,' Gibbs replied, 'you get the feeling this was planned?'

'Yep,'

'You think Tony would mind if we borrowed his car?'

'Yep,'

'Let's go.'


	4. Team Building For Dummies

**Title - ****Teambuilding for Dummies**

**Author - Mrs Scott 323**

* * *

"Whose brilliant idea was this?"

"Stop complaining Tony, can't you just enjoy the view?"

"While I'm sweating like a pig and carrying a backpack that probably has bricks in it? Not likely."

"Shut up Tony. This is nothing, during my Mossad training we had to walk three times as long and the temperature was much higher too." Ziva snapped at him. Tony continued to grumble under his breath about crazy ninja women with unnatural abilities.

They had been hiking through the hills for the last two hours. Apparently everyone who'd attended the sexual harassment workshop had to do a follow up on teambuilding. Well, actually it was voluntary but the Director thought that it was best for the entire team to attend. And no one had been very pleased to hear about it. Gibbs had been even more grumpy than usual the entire week that lead up to their outing but the Director made sure he wouldn't get out of it. She even sacrificed her own free weekend to make sure he'd go with them.

* * *

_Gibbs heard some unusual noises from somewhere inside his house. He left the b__asement to find out where the sounds came from. After a short search he found Jenny in his bedroom dressed comfortably in jeans and a sweater, it had been a very long time since he__'__d seen her this casually dressed. Then he noticed the suitcase opened on his bed and that she was packing his clothes and some other items in it._

"_What do you think you'__re doing?"_

"_Making sure you attend that teambuilding weekend." _

"_I'__m not spending 72 hours listening to my team bicker about pointless things and I__'__m certainly not going to __'__help make our team a very close knit group__'__." While saying those last words he formed quotation marks with his hands. It was one of the lines the female instructor used when she informed them about their trip._

"_Besides, she specifically said that this was on a voluntary basis."_

"_You'__re going and that is final. Or do you want your team to be stuck with desk work for the next month?" She saw him cringe at the thought and smiled when she finished closing up his suitcase._

"_There, all done. Let'__s go." _

_Before he knew it she__'__d pushed him out of the house and the two were on their way to the weekends camping spot._

* * *

While they were climbing up the hill he kept shooting glares at her back, she felt it. But she refused to react, she wasn't going to let him get to her. She let her gaze go over the rest of the team. Ziva was first in their small line, a few feet in front of the others. Abby and Ducky were following close behind, and they appeared to be talking about something. She looked over her shoulder, refusing to meet Jethro's eyes. Tony was struggling behind Gibbs, she could see the drops of sweat on his forehead. Jenny held back a smile. He really shouldn't have offered to carry the backpack. She suspected that Tony was right, because she'd seen Ziva put something in the backpack, just before they started their hike.

McGee and Palmer were last in line. They also appeared to be talking about something, very animatedly.

Suddenly her foot seemed to hit something and she lost her balance. She braced herself for the impact of the fall but it never came. Instead two arms caught her.

"I suggest you look in front of you Jen."

"Thank you Jethro, I think I might do that." Jenny stopped herself from rolling her eyes and tried not to notice the small tingles she felt in the places where Jethro's arms and hands touched her body. She quickly released herself from his arms and asked Ziva.

"How much further is it?"

"Not that far." her friend replied. "About a minute or five."

Jenny checked her watch, she could use a rest but she was sure she could manage five more minutes.

Those five minutes seemed longer than the entire road they'd taken. Finally they reached their camping spot. And after the struggle to put the tent up everyone collapsed to the ground. Well everyone except Ziva and Gibbs.

"Whose bright idea was it to get just one tent?" asked Abby.

"That women who gave us the sexual harassment workshop." answered Jen in a tired voice.

Ziva finally sat down too. "Remind me to 'thank' her."

"Well you're the one that snores like a sailor so you really shouldn't be complaining."

"Shut up Tony."

With their usual bickering the evening fell, and the team sat down in front of the small campfire they started. Tony dug up a bag of marshmallows. "Anyone want one?"

Almost everyone reached for the bag, everyone except Abby. She never liked the sweet. Instead she searched for her phone, Jethro was staying with one of her bowling friends and she was curious if everything was still alright. She searched through her backpack, the place she'd put her cell phone in. But it was nowhere to be found.

"Guys, have you seen my phone? It's red, and has a skull on it."

McGee reached for his pocket, "here Abbs why don't you use mine." but he couldn't find it either.

"I can't find mine either. I'm sure I put it in my pocket."

"Right Probie, I'm sure you did." This time Tony reached for his pocket to retrieve his phone.

"I did!"

"I can't find mine either."

Everyone in the circle now reached for their pocket to find their phone. Everyone but Palmer and Ducky. Gibbs noticed their lack of movement first.  
"Anything you want to tell us?" he glared at the two to give his question extra force. Palmer cracked first.

"We got rid of everyone's phone." when he noticed the threatening looks he got he quickly added "you'll get them back after the weekend. Dr Mallard and I thought that it would be a good way for us to get the real nature experience."

"You did what?!" the collective yell sounded like it came from just one person.

"I can't even call for pizza?" Tony whined. Jenny turned a little green, they didn't know if it was the lack of cell phones or the mentioning of pizza that made her excuse herself and threw up the marshmallows she just ate. Ducky went over to check on her.

"Are you alright Jennifer?"

"I'm fine Ducky, just very tired."

He studied her face, and she gave him a small smile. Just for once he let it slide. But he decided to pay more attention to her this weekend. To make sure that she wasn't really ill. And before the fire went out everyone had gone back to the tent. Getting their rest for the next morning. Because no one really knew what was going to happen to them.

The morning came early for a few people, Abby, Jenny and Ducky had all woken up at about 5 am. The snoring sounds from inside their tent were enough to cut down a rainforest. Instead they'd decided to fix them all some breakfast. But when they reached the remaining of the campfire they noticed that there was a stick with a note standing next to it. Abby reached for the note and read it out loud.

"Good morning everyone. I hope you slept well. Today's assignment is to hunt for your own dinner. Everything you need can be found out here. You just have to look for it. Closely." Abby looked up from the note, "does that mean we have to shoot some kind of animal?"

Jenny shook her head, "I was informed that they'd provide for every meal so they probably made it some kind of scavenger hunt."

"I haven't had one of those since I was a young boy." Ducky smiled. "This might actually be fun."

The other two looked at him like he was insane. When the others finally woke up they informed them of today's assignment. It seemed like Ducky was the only one who looked forward to their assignment. After some discussion they decided to split up, and that half of the team would look in the morning and the other half in the afternoon. Just to make sure there wouldn't be any other surprises in their camp. The first group, the one with Ziva, Palmer, McGee and Gibbs had left soon after their discussion. Surprisingly it was McGee with his boy scout history who found the first part of their dinner. Unfortunately it was hanging from a high branch in some kind of tree. He tried to climb up to the branch, but every time he seemed to slip away. His hands were covered in scratches he'd gotten from the bark.

"Palmer, help him."

Gibbs motioned with his hand in the direction of the tree. Palmer looked a bit disbelievingly. "I'm not sure that would be a good idea." then he noticed Gibbs' glare "Sir."

But Gibbs' expression didn't change and Jimmy gave up, he walked over to McGee and tried to push the other man in the tree. Or at least be an extra step on his way up there. Ziva watched amusedly and saw from the corner of her eye that Gibbs had a hard time to keep the smile off his face. In one quick movement she took out her knife and threw it at the bag. The blade cut through the plastic and the entire thing fell down. Palmer and McGee lost their balance and fell down on the ground. Stunned, they looked at Ziva who smiled and walked to the tree to retrieve her knife.

"You might want to get up." She pointed with her knife to the place they were sitting. It wasn't until then that they noticed that they'd fallen into poison ivy.

Meanwhile Tony had crawled in his sleeping bag again, claiming he hadn't gotten enough sleep with everyone's snoring. The other three scoffed as he left them behind. Abby, Jenny and Ducky kept themselves busy with a few games, none of them really knowing what else they could possibly do. That was, until Abby broke the silence.

"Why did you leave my cell behind again? Tony's pizza idea was kind of a good idea."

"My dear Abigail, you can't be serious, a camping trip with cell phones and delivered pizza. It is the 21st century but this is a camping trip!"

Abby and Ducky started to bicker about the true meaning of a camping trip, and neither noticed that every time the word pizza fell, their Director turned greener every single time. When the word fell again she quickly excused herself to empty her stomach. Abby and Ducky came to check up on her. Abby held her hair back as she threw up one last time. It felt like there was nothing left in her stomach.

"Jennifer, are you sure you aren't ill?"

"I'm fine Ducky." Ducky watched her intently, once again. Abby walked back to the tent to get some water. Hesitantly, Ducky asked his final question. "Does Jethro know?"

"No." Jenny glared at him. "And you're not telling him."

"I wasn't going to. You should do that yourself Jennifer."

"I know."

"Soon."

"I know."

The conversation ended right there. And they didn't talk about it the entire day. Not until later that night, when Ducky gave Jenny a meaningful look when he left the two of them alone at the campfire Everyone else had turned in a while earlier, McGee and Palmer while scratching themselves furiously. Jenny glared at him, once again. And then he left them behind. For a while, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of wood burning and the crackling of resin.

"Jen?"

"Mhm?"

"What was that about."

"Nothing."

"Come on Jen, even in this light I can see your eye twitch."

She sighed. Knowing that this was the perfect opportunity to tell him. But still not sure if she wanted him to know already. Not sure if he was ready to find out.

"I'm pregnant."


	5. Teddy Bears Picnic

Disclaimer: Not mine just borrowing them

**Disclaimer: **Not mine just borrowing them!

**Note:** The team celebrate Jen and Gibbs daughters first birthday with the team on there weekend off by having a picnic in Ducky's backyard.

Hope you enjoy, please review.

**Teddy Bears Picnic.**

She could feel the sun filtering through the curtains but she knew that it was still too early to be awake so she turned over and snuggled into her husband but instead of finding him she found a empty bed she groaned to herself and pulled herself out of the warmth of the bed and into the cold hallway looking for him. Sure enough she found him in the room next to theirs, the nursery, she noticed him standing over the cot watching their now one year old daughter Paula sleep. She slipped up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist leaning her head against his back.

"What are you doing Jethro?" She asked him.

"Just looking at her." He told her spinning around so he was facing Jen and had his arms wrapped around her also.

"You mean before she wakes up and starts crying?" She teased him.

He grinned at her and rolled his eyes "Yea something like that."

She lent up and kissed him "Today is going to so nice, just the three of us." She said.

When he didn't answer her she looked up at him with suspicious eyes "What aren't you telling me?" She demanded

"Ahhh well I might have been talking to Ducky about coming over for tea like you said but then Abby walked in and overheard that we weren't having a party for Paula's first birthday and you know what she's like..." He explained.

Jen rolled her eyes knowing where this was going.

"She did the puppy dog look, didn't she Jethro? Anyway tell me more..." She prompted.

"Well I might have agreed to let her and the rest of the team organize a surprise that starts at 11." He told her smiling hoping she wasn't going to be mad.

"You did what?" She asked him thinking she had heard him wrong as when it was their daughters christening she had fought tooth and nail with him for a party with his team after.

He motioned to the sleeping baby and she lowered her voice and asked again "You did what?"

"I agreed to let Abby and the team organize a surprise for Paula's birthday." He told her.

She rolled her eyes and smiled at him "I heard you the first time hun I didn't mean for you to repeat it."

"Are you mad?" He asked her, now worried because a angry Jenny was never fun to be around.

She smiled and shook her head "No I love the idea actually." She then kissed him again.

"So what's the surprise they're planning?" She asked him.

"They wouldn't tell me just said that we had to be at Ducky's by 11." He told her.

She nodded and grabbed his wrist so she could see the time.

"Grrr its only 5am Jethro." She moaned.

"Why don't you go back to bed and I'll get Paula's bottle ready for when she wakes up?" He offered.

"That's a sweet idea but I won't be able to sleep anyway and I have to find something nice to wear to this surprise." She told him.

He rolled his eyes knowing how long that could take "Jen you look beautiful in everything you wear." He told her.

She smiled and kissed him again "Thank you." She told him softly.

He was just about to lead her out of the nursery when soft cries from the cot pulled them back into the room.

"I'll do the bottle you bring her down" He said to Jen, who nodded in agreement. She walked over to the cot and picked up the baby and hugged her close, kissing her "Oooo how's the birthday girl?" She asked their daughter kissing her again.

The baby stopped crying and started laughing and smiling at her mum

"That's better" Jen said wiping away her daughter's tears.

"Let's go find daddy and see if he has got your bottle ready."

She walked into the kitchen and couldn't help but giggle; Paula copied her mum and started giggling to.

Gibbs heard them laughing at him and spun around with mock anger he walked over to them "May I ask what is so funny?" He asked

Jen looked at him "Nothing hun I'm just having fun watching my husband being bet by a bottle warmer at 5am." She teased.

"It's harder than it looks! Anyway you usually do it so I don't really know how it works."

"Jethro, technology will never be your friend." She told him, handing him Paula and taking the cold bottle from his hand and setting up the bottle warmer.

A few minutes later it was warm enough for Paula to drink.

Jen turned around and found the kitchen empty, She walked through to the study and sure enough found them there, Gibbs showing their daughter all the photos that were all over the room she could hear him talking quietly telling Paula about all the people in the photos.

She coughed quietly to get his attention. He turned around and smiled.

"You wanna feed her?" She asked him holding out the bottle.

He did want to but he knew that if he let Jen feed her then he would have time to go and get the present he had got for not only Paula but Jen also.

"Why don't you? I just have to do something quickly" He explained to her, handing her Paula.

"Ok. Come here sweet pea" Jen said scooping up Paula and kissing the baby on her tummy which always made her laugh.

She then walked into the lounge and settled down on the couch watching Paula as she drank her bottle.

Since Paula could hold her own bottle Jen let her free hand sweep over the baby's red hair that was now growing rapidly she ran her fingers through it then trailed a finger down the baby's arm loving how smooth the baby's skin was. She was so absorbed in watching Paula she didn't notice when her husband came into the room with the camera.

He raised the camera and took a photo of his two girls. Jen snapped out of her trance from the flash of the camera "Jethro I look awful!" She protested.

"No you don't." He told her.

He then sat down beside her and linked his fingers through hers.

"Sometimes I still can't believe it." He told her softly both of them watching Paula.

She squeezed his hand, "I know what you mean." She told him.

Once Paula was finished her bottle Jen went to hand her to Gibbs but he stopped her "Before I take her I have something for you both." He told her.

She raised her eyebrows "Both of us?" She asked him wondering if she had heard him right.

He nodded "Yep both of you."

He then pulled two small boxes from his pocket and handed on to Jen and the other to Paula.

"Why don't you help her open her one and I'll do mine?" Jen suggested to him.

He nodded in agreement and gently took the ribbon and paper from the box but stopped there.

"You have to help her with the last part Jen." He told her.

She nodded and leaned over Paula's shoulder holding one box in each hand and flipping them open with her index finger.

"Oh my god Jethro, they are...beautiful." She said searching for a word to use to describe the two bracelets that sat in the boxes.

She put one arm around Paula then leant close to her husband and kissed him "Thank you so much." She told him trying not to cry.

He reached over and took Paula's one out of the box and slipped it over her chubby little wrist "So she will always know how much we love her." He explained to Jen.

She nodded reading the inscription on Paula's bracelet '_Our little miracle love mummy and daddy' _ "It is beautiful." She told him again.

He then reached over and took the bracelet he got for her out of the box and secured it on her wrist, She turned her wrist so she could see what it read '_You will always have all of me, love you xx' _

"I love it." She told him kissing him again "And I love you to."

Paula started fussing wanting both of her parent's attention. They both laughed and Jen placed her down into Gibbs lap "I'm going to grab a shower." She told him standing up and leaving the lounge.

"Jen what are you doing? It's after 10.30." He called up the stairs.

She appeared a few minutes later "I was just looking for the camera." She explained.

He rummaged through the baby bag and pulled it out, she laughed and took Paula from him as he picked up the car seat from the floor and they walked out to the car.

They arrived at Ducky's and Jen turned to him "So you really have no idea what they are planning?" She asked him watching his face.

"Honestly none Jen." He told her raising his hands in mock surrender.

She laughed at the gesture and got out of the car and opened the back door to get Paula out.

They then walked up to the front door and pushed the bell.

It was just about 11 and the team had been at Ducky's for over an hour now setting up for the picnic and making sure everything was ready.

Ducky was talking to Tony about the best way to get Ziva to cut back on her work hours now that she was just over 3 months pregnant when McGee's voice cut through their conversation,

"Ahhh Ducky, I think Palmer did something to the table" McGee's voice called out pulling Ducky away from Tony who followed Ducky to where McGee, Ziva and Abby stood all staring at Palmer as he attempted to fix the table that didn't seem to want to click into place.

"Maybe you should step away from the table Mr Palmer and let Anthony here handle it" Ducky suggested to Palmer, who was more than happy to untangle himself from the mess of the table and let Tony take over.

Tony looked over the table that was relatively easy to put up and couldn't help but ask Palmer "What did you do to it Palmer? Even McGee over there has managed to do it before I thought you would have been able to do it being a medical examiner who has pieced together, I'm sure, hundreds of bodies, all you have to do is snap these two parts together." He explained snapping the two beams into place then turning the table over so it was standing upright then standing back and watching Abby and Ziva spread the white and pink tablecloth over it. Then Ducky directed Tim and Palmer to get the various containers and bowls from the kitchen and place them on the table.

"Actually piecing together bones and setting up a table are two completely different things Tony." Palmer told Tony.

Tony rolled his eyes "Palmer I don't care, I was just using it as an example." He said walking over to where Ziva stood with Abby.

Abby looked at McGee's watch and squealed "It's just about 11!!"

"You guys you know what to do right?" She asked everyone sweeping a cuffed wrist over the group, everyone nodded and she smiled "Good, places then!" She told everyone excitedly

Tony and McGee moved over to where the blankets were set out on the ground and picked up the Teddy bears Abby had got for everyone. Tony picked up the teddy bear and turned to McGee and said "Sooo McGeek you feeling as stupid as I am or is this something Abby makes you do often?"

McGee rolled his eyes "No Tony it's not something Abby makes me do ever and if you hadn't suggested how much fun a teddy bears picnic would be we wouldn't all be sitting here with them would we?"

Tony opened his mouth to protest but closed it when Abby let out another squeal as she heard the front door bell ring she bounded off to answer it while everyone else got ready.

"Gibbs! Jenny!" Abby squealed as the door flew open. Gibbs and Jen automatically took a step back, surprised. Abby held her arms out and Jen promptly handed over Paula who was already reaching out to Abby. Abby snuggled into the little girl.

"Happy Birthday, little one." She cooed. She gestured to Gibbs and Jen to follow her and proceed to chatter animatedly to Paula, who was trying to reply in baby talk. Jen stifled a laugh and Gibbs smiles reaching down to take her hand. He bought it up and brushed his lips over her knuckles.

The back door was open and they all walked out into the garden. Abby let out a loud, very suspicious cough and the whole team jumped out from hiding places holding teddy bears. Gibbs reminded himself to remember this image so he could blackmail Tony later.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" They all shouted, including Ducky who looks suitably embarrassed. Jen was grinning, her eyes watering slightly, Paula was squealing happily, holding her arms to the teddy bears and the rest of the team.

Abby walked Paula over to the table and showed her the cake that she had made shaped like a bat with 'Happy 1st Birthday Paula, Love from us all' Written across both wings in white frosting. Jen and Gibbs trailed behind hands entwined both fighting back tears at the love and effort that the team had put into the party.

Jen walked over to Ducky and wrapped her arms around him "Thank you so much for all of this" She whispered into his ear

"You're more than welcome my dear" He told her wrapping his arms around her to.

Abby then sat down on the grass with Paula besdie McGee and started playing with the teddy bears around them. She chatted away in animated baby talk to her.

Ducky pulled away and said to them both "Would you like a drink?"

Jen turned to look at Gibbs who nodded "Sounds good what you got?" She asked him slipping her hand back into Gibbs and following Ducky to the table that had been set up, A few minutes later everyone had drinks and was sitting around talking. Tony being impatient like he was went and sat down beside Abby who was now making the teddy bears talk to each other while Paula sat in between her legs giggling away and clapping her hands together clumisly.

"Abbby is it time for cake yet" He whined playfully to her

Abby bent down and whispered into Paulas ear "What do you think muffin should we put Tony out of his misery"

She pretended to wait for Paula to answer her then picked up the little girl and walked over to where the cake sat, She handed Paula to Jen then lit all the candles and stood back so Jen and Gibbs could help Paula blow out the candles.

Abby took photos while they did, Then stepped foward to hold Paula while Jen cut up th cake for everyone. After everyone had eaten Abby bounced up and announced loudly to the group that she wanted a photo of them all, She thrust the camera into Palmers unsuspecting hands then grouped everyone together.

Palmer holding the camera kept backing up trying to fit the group into the cameras frame 'Ahh almost perfect just one more step' He thought to himself taking one step back and connecting with the table that held the remains of the food and drink he found himself on the grass covered in and surrounded by food and drink.

Jen couldn't stop herself from laughing, Ziva laughed with her, Gibbs rolled his eyes and McGee and Ducky rushed over to help him up

"Mr Palmer you do know how to get yourself into trouble don't you my boy" Ducky told him pulling his left arm

"Geeez Palmer" McGee said pulling on his right arm

Once Palmer was standing upright he attemepted to brush the smoushed cupcakes and cream off his shirt but had little luck.

Abby was still holding Paula she handed her back to Jen, "I better go help them clean up" She explained to Jen

Who nodded and took Paula into her arms, Jen then felt Gibbs hand on her back and he guided her over to a quite corner of the backyard out of everyone elses way

Jen and Gibbs were standing in the corner of the yard talking to each other as Abby and McGee tried to help Palmer clean up the mess he had caused. Meanwhile Tony and Ziva were standing near the table, Ziva holding the camera.

She watched Jen and Gibbs as they both lent in to kiss each other but just as their lips met Paula let out a cry, letting them both know that she wanted their undivided attention. They both pulled away and laughed softly, then bent down at the same time and kissed their daughter on a cheek each. Ziva had a huge smile on her face and quickly raised the camera to snap a picture of the happy family.

"That's so romantic" She sighed to Tony,

"Uhhh yea sure Ziva watching Gibbs pash his wife is just so romantic," Tony retorted sarcastically.

"Ooooh shut up Tony!" She told him, hitting him hard in the stomping before walking over to Abby.

"Hey, not nice Sweet Cheeks!" He yelled at her from the ground, where he landed after she hit him.

She spun around "Call me that again Tony and I'll do more than hit you." She told him threateningly.

"Is that a promise?" He teased her with a boyish grin on his face.

Before Ziva could hurt him Jen and Gibbs had rejoined the group with a sleepy Paula.

Ducky watched them with careful eyes before talking, "I think its time we all let you three get going." He said "It seems that we have tired the birthday girl out."

Jen laughed at his comment "I hope so I don't really feel like an early wake up tomorrow."

Ducky laughed to "Well my dear, you never know with little ones, especially with one as stubborn as your little one."

Jen just laughed again and reached out with her spare arm to hug Ducky goodbye then everyone else, then they walked down the driveway heading for their car.

Later that night as they lay in bed, the sound of their little girl sleeping soundly came through the baby monitor, Gibbs pulled his wife into his arms.

"It was such a perfect day, thank you Jethro." She said sleepily, her arms wound around his waist, her legs tangled with his.

He leant down and kissed her head, brushing hair from her face.

"You're perfect."

The End!


	6. The Back To School Picnic

Title: The Back to School Picnic

Author: NickyK

Summary: Just a little story about the Gibbs gang- plus two- enjoying a day at the park with some sensual undertones.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS

* * *

Jenny Shepard pulled up to the park where the Annual Big Brother Big Sister Back to School picnic was being held. It was a beautiful day. The sky was a dazzlingly blue with white feathery clouds, while a light breeze flowed throughout the city. Dressed comfortably in a pair of khaki colored Capri's and a white stretch tee, she started across the park. The two day event, co-sponsored by the United State's Navy, had kicked off the day before with a lunch and a book-bag give away. Today would end the event with a picnic with current and past participants and tons of activities to help raise money for next year's event. She made her way through the crowd, greeting people as she went. She was stopped several times along her way and introduced to family and friends or some other important person associated with the event. Easing herself away, she wandered across the park, her eyes on the lookout for more familiar faces.

A drink appeared out of nowhere making Jenny stop suddenly or risk said drink spilling all over her white shirt. Her eyes traveled from the drink, up the out-stretched arm, to the smiling face of Agent Tony DiNozzo.

"Thought you might be thirsty."

She raised one perfectly arched brow at him.

"Lemonade. Non-alcoholic," he supplied. "I'm on a drink run."

He indicated the box he was balancing on his other arm with several similar cups inside filled with different colorful liquids. She smiled her thanks as she accepted the cup. She took a sip scanning the crowd looking for the familiar silver-head agent she knew wouldn't be far away, while falling into step beside Tony.

"I'll take you to the rest of the team," said Tony, "you'll find them over by the shade. Seems some ten-year old girl demanded we get out of the sun. Said something about having a natural tan unlike the rest of us."

Jenny nearly choked on her drink as laughter bubbled up inside of her. "Did she really say that?"

"Well, maybe not in so many words but, yeah," Tony answered looking thoughtful. "Do you think she was trying to tell us something?"

Jenny just smirked as she finally spotted the group. Abby, Ziva and Tim were relaxing on a bench watching in amusement as Gibbs was "attacked" by two rambunctious mini-agents. She smiled fondly, signaling to the group not to alert the trio to her approach, while Tony passed around the drinks. She watched Gibbs, noting once again how good he was with kids as he pretended to fend himself against two very enthusiastic kids.

This Gibbs was a far cry from the one who'd baulked at the very idea of volunteering as a Big Brother for the event which began two years ago. She'd tried to cajole him into accepting the role, using all the charm she'd possessed and them some but he'd been adamant about it, refused to even consider it. Until she'd finally had to guilt him into it.

* * *

"_Jethro, we needed volunteers so I volunteered you. Besides, who better to be a role model for one of these young boys."_

"_Not me, Jen."_

_His voice was firm, his face set in a way that would normally have her backing off. She tilted her head, studying him, wondering what his refusal was really all about. She considered that maybe being around children was difficult for him because of Kelly but quickly dismissed that idea. She'd seen him around kids and he was a natural. No other reasons came to mind and frankly, she really didn't have time to analyze him. _

_This was the first time that the Navy had been asked to participate, NCIS agents and staff in particular and she wanted this to be a success. It was important to her that the kids and parents who signed up for this event knew that they were getting people who cared and respected their situations. Granted, it was only this one time, just for a weekend, but it mattered to her. And if at least one child took something away from that weekend that inspired them to succeed despite their circumstances, she would consider it a huge success._

_Jenny came around her desk, sitting on the edge in front of him. Her voice was soft as she spoke. "Jethro, I don't know why you're so against this but I need you to do this. You're good with kids, you understand them and that's what they need--someone who listens and gives them undivided attention. Even if its only for a couple of days. Most of these kids are from single parent homes or children of divorces parents being shuffled back and forth. I'm not asking you to have any contact with your ward after this is over. All I'm asking is that you use your natural talent for putting kids at ease to use for one weekend." She paused and kneeled down next to him, placing her hands on his legs. "Please reconsider, Jethro, if not for me, then for the little boy you'd be helping."_

_Their eyes met and held and Jenny could feel the magnetic pull of attraction that usually wound its way between them when their guards were down. One of them would inevitably pull away but this time, Jenny noticed, he didn't shrink away from it and to her own surprise, she found she didn't want to either. He lifted his hand and ran his finger down her cheek and Jenny's breath caught in her throat. _

"_I would've done it for you, Jen." His voice was equally as soft as her own had been and she had no doubt in her mind that had Cynthia not interrupted them that very moment, he would have sealed it with a kiss. And she would have let him._

* * *

And that was how 10-year old Monica Jones and 12-year old Keith Wasson came into their lives. Monica, eight at that time, was a beautiful, brown eyed, dark-skinned girl who looked like a china doll. She was outspoken and fearless. Coming from a home with two older brothers all being raised by a single father, who worked long hours and late nights, she longed for a mother-figure. After Jenny was assigned to her as her "big sister", they discovered they both shared the loss of their mothers at an early age and a connection was immediately formed. Jenny had been volunteering with the young girl as much as her scheduled allowed.

Jethro had been assigned to 10-year old Keith. Theirs was an awkward beginning and it took Gibbs the whole weekend to get the little boy to even speak to him. Keith was a total opposite of Monica. With his shocking blue eyes, reddish-blond hair and adorably cute display of freckles, he was extremely sweet; yet he was completely awkward in his own body. Taller than most boys his age, Keith just didn't know what to do with himself, which caused him to be a bit clumsy at times. He was shuffled between his parents, spending every other weekend with a father that was too busy and a mother who tried her best but couldn't give him that confidence he needed. Jenny and Monica had spent most of their time at the event with Gibbs and Keith and it was Monica who actually discovered the young boy liked boats. Once he found out that Gibbs built them, it was like the dam had been release.

Now, as Jenny watched them, she couldn't help but wonder what life would have been like had she had Jethro's child. The thought came so suddenly that Jenny gasped and nearly choked her lemonade.

"Director? Are you alright?" asked Ducky, who seemed to appear out of thin air.

"I'm fine," she assured, knowing her face was flaming red. She was sure everyone was looking at her.

Alerted to her presence by the sound of her voice, the three stopped tussling and made their way over to her.

"Miss Jenny, what's the matter? Why your face so red?" asked Monica, straight to the point as usual.

"I swallowed wrong. That's all. " She explained, feeling Jethro's eyes on her but refusing to look up.

"Oh, well, its about time you got here. I thought we were going have to forfeit the race."

Jenny frowned at Monica. "What race?" she asked and immediately noticed the rest of the group found other things to look at.

"Mr. Gibbs signed us up for the three-legged race," explained Keith. "It was going to be girls against boys but Monica thought it would be fun to make it young against old." At Jenny's sharp look, he gulped. "Those were Monica's words." he said hastily, backing away from the two adults.

Monica however, was unfazed as usual. "I didn't mean old as in elderly, I just meant old as in older than us."

"Uh-huh," muttered Jenny.

"The rest of them are going to do it to," continued Monica. "Tony and Ziva are a team and Abby and Tim are a team and Keith and I are a team. Ducky's going to sit this one out."

Jenny frowned. "Who am I racing with?"

Monica rolled her eyes. "You and Mr. Gibbs, silly. Duh."

"Oh, right. Gibbs and I. That doesn't sound like an age thing, it sounds more like…" Jenny broke off as realization dawned. Monica was giggling and Keith was trying to hide a smile. Shocked at their manipulation, she raised her eyes to Jethro only to find him smirking at her.

"Are you sure you used to be an investigator?" sassed Monica.

"Alright, you," Jenny said grabbing the girl playfully and tickling her sides.

A horn sounded in the distance and Tony jumped down off the table.

"It's about time. I didn't think they'd ever get the games started. C'mon Ziva, lets go kick some three-legged a…"

"DiNozzo!" Jenny and Gibbs said at once.

"Mommy and Daddy don't like it when you use bad language around us younger kids," Monica informed him.

Jenny groaned. "You have been spending way too much time around Abby, young lady," said Jenny as they headed over to the get ready for the race. She pretended not to see the high-five exchange between the aforementioned girls.

The three-legged race began with the crowd enthusiastically cheering them on. Between watching the other teams try to maneuver their way down the length of the field and struggling to coordinate her efforts with Gibbs, she was almost doubled over with laughter.

"C'mon Jen, we could win this."

"Okay, okay." She straightened as much as she could and tried to find the right gait to help them toward the finish line. In truth, they were almost there. Only one other team was as close as they and that was Monica and Keith. Jenny chanced a glance behind her to see Tim stumbling on the ground while Abby hopped/dragged him down the field. Tony and Ziva were arguing too much to gain any ground. There were other teams but they were slower that Jenny and Gibbs. It made her giddy to realized that she and Gibbs might actually win this. The bragging rights over Tony and Ziva would make looking like an idiot in front of half her office and other Navy personnel worth it.

That was until she felt her free leg being kicked out from under her. She stumbled, trying unsuccessfully to catch her balance. She reached out to Gibbs which made him lose his balance and next thing she knew the ground was racing up to meet them. They fell with a hard thump and the wind knocked out of them but Jenny realized her fall was cushioned. She opened her eyes to find herself laying on top of Gibbs. Her eyes met his and Jenny couldn't help it; she laughed. A moment later, Gibbs joined her.

"Are you okay?" she asked him finally, when they'd both calmed down.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?" Gibbs brushed her hair out of her face.

"I'm fine," she answered breathlessly. Her breast were pressed firmly against his chest and she could feel the rapid beat of his heart. Her nipples strained against him and Jenny leaned forward and moaned in his ear. She felt him stiffen, then take a ragged breath as his hand slipped further in her hair.

A throat cleared above them and they jerked apart, both suddenly realizing exactly where they were.

"Might not want to do that here, Boss." said Tony.

Gibbs untangled himself from the sack and helped Jenny to her feet. He glared at Tony and shot Ziva a look. She nodded and slapped Tony on the back of his head.

"Ow!"

"Well, you should've saw that coming, Tony," Keith said cheekily and Tony made a face at the young boy which made him laugh.

Someone in the crowd let out a wolf whistle and Jenny felt the heat rise to her face again. She ducked her head, pretending to look for dirt on her clothing and pointedly ignoring the snickering from the others around her.

"Well enough of this. It's time to get Miss Jenny ready for the dunk tank."

Jenny's head snapped up. "For the what?"

"The dunk tank. You're on the list. See." Monica reached into her back pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. She unfolded it and held it up for Jenny to see. Sure enough, she was on the list.

Jenny placed her hands on her hips and glared at the group in front of her. "Why is my name on this list?"

"I volunteered you ," said Gibbs, looking way too smug for his own good.

"You did what?" she screeched loud enough that several passers-by looked curiously in their direction. "Why would you do that?"

Gibbs shrugged.. "They needed volunteers so I volunteered you."

Those were the same words she'd used on him to get him to volunteer to be a Big Brother two years ago. She definitely did not like hearing them thrown back in her face now.

"Jethro, do you think maybe you could have warned me. I'm wearing a white tee shirt for goodness sake. I'd be putting on a show for everyone here if I got wet," she argued.

His eyes gleamed as they traveled to her chest. "I wouldn't mind seeing that."

"Jethro!" She exclaimed, motioning toward Monica and Keith.

"Oh don't worry about me. I wouldn't mind either," Keith chimed in.

Jenny and Jethro both turned a warning glance toward the boy and he blushed red and took a step back. Abby and Monica grabbed one of his hands as they pulled him away.

"Let's go Keith and let the adults duke this out alone," said Abby as they led him away. Tony, Ziva and Tim were quick to follow.

Jenny turned back to Gibbs. "No, I'm not doing this. I can't.

"C'mon Jen, you can't back out now. Everyone's counting on you. Besides, do you know how many people are going to pay to try to dunk you? Think of all the proceeds that go back into the program's back to school fund."

"Well, since you put it that way," she said wryly as she rolled her eyes.

"That's my girl." He grabbed her hand and led her across the park toward the dunk tank station.

"No. Wait." She pulled him to a stop, her eyes shifting warily to the line that was already forming. "Jethro, the Director of NCIS can not go around wet with her breast on display," she hissed at him.

"Don't worry Jen. There's a NCIS tee shirt and shorts waiting for you in the changing station around the back. Now let's go. People are waiting to dunk you."

Jenny reluctantly let him pull her forward, silently contemplating delivering him her own version of a head-slap. He was enjoying this way too much, which was evident from the broad smile on his face and the mischievous gleam in his eye. It was nice, though, to see him happy and worry free. Lately, he'd seemed stressed and frustrated and Jenny had surmised that his latest case was getting to him. She was directed to a small changing room behind the duck tanks where sure enough, the tee shirt and shorts were waiting for her. She changed quickly, signaled she was ready and upon direction, ascended the stairs to complete her thirty minute stint with much trepidation.

She needn't had worried. Jethro had been right about the number of people willing to pay for a chance to dunk her but so far none of them had managed to do so. Each person was allowed one throw per turn and it was just Jenny's luck that the first few people were her employees. Either they were worried about the consequences for being the first one to dunk their boss or they all had horrible aim. And considering most of them carried weapons, she doubted aim was the case.

Finally, it was Jethro's turn and Jenny knew by the look in his eyes that her run of good fortune was over.

"Jethro Gibbs, I will make you pay dearly, if you dunk me," she threatened.

Gibbs chuckled. "That's what I'm counting on," he called out to her as he took aim and let loose.

Jenny heard the ball connect to its target and managed to take a deep breath before she fell with a splash into the water. She could hear the cheering from outside the tank. She rose, spluttering water with as much dignity as she could and climbed back on the seat. After that no one hesitated to send her into the water. Soon after her time was up and Jenny gladly handed the seat over to the next victim. She climbed carefully down the steps, only to be surprised by Jethro standing at the end with a towel. She smiled her thanks and let him wrap the towel around her. She trembled as he ran his hands along the towel and Jenny knew her reaction had nothing to do with being chilled.

The rest of the picnic went by fast. They ate, played more games and listened to the end of the day speeches before it was time to get the children to their respective homes. Jenny had just returned home after dropping off Monica when a car pulled up in the driveway. She turned the key to open the door, pausing to wait for her visitor to appear. A familiar figured made his way toward her. She leaned against the door.

"Agent Gibbs."

"Director."

"Haven't you had enough of me?" she asked teasingly.

He raised a brow but didn't answer the question.

"I believe you threatened me today, Director."

"Did I?" Her voice was quiet in the darkness, moonlight their only illumination.

He stepped closer, invading her personal space, his body teasing hers with its nearness.

"Yeah, you did," he murmured. "I'm here for my punishment."

His hands circled her waist as his lips covered hers. Jenny groaned, deepening the kiss and pressing her body firmly into his. Her arms circled his neck as a familiar heat started to make its way down her body. She pulled away, gripping his shirt as she tired to catch her breath.

"I think this punishment would be best served in my bedroom, Agent Gibbs."

He leaned forward and placed light kisses on her neck and Jenny actually thought her knees were going to buckle.

"Lead the way," he whispered.

She didn't need to be told twice.


	7. The Punishment For Fighting

Title: The Punishment for Fighting

Author: A'serene

Rating: K Plus bordering on T

Spoilers: None.

Summary: Jibbsfest 5, Abby throws a picnic so the team can spend some together out of the office.

* * *

It hadn't taken much for Abby Scuito to decide that Labor Day was the perfect day for a picnic. The favorable forecast, the fact that NCIS was closed on Labor Day, and the fact that she was in a bit of a cooking mood, all these facts just added to icing on the cake. Really it was more the fact that the team was hiding out in her lab. It wasn't that she didn't love the team, she did. It was more that she hated the reason they were hiding. Quite simply, she hated it when Mommy and Daddy fought, and in this case it was more that Mommy and Daddy weren't even trying to make amends, they weren't speaking at all. So she had decided that a picnic would be a nice way to force them together and if it meant pulling some strings and daring the team into things well someone had to do it.

So here she was Friday before Labor Day handing out the invitations to the team and whispering in their ears her plots. For Tony it had been quite simple enough, all she had to do was mention the fact that it would be a way to get the Boss and the Boss' Boss together and he was in. For Ziva, it was the thought of getting one up on Jenny when she realized her car wouldn't be starting. For McGee it was the sad puppy face Abby had perfected. For Ducky it was simply to enjoy the fresh air. Jenny and Gibbs however took a little bit more convincing.

"But Gibbs!" Abby whined.

"No Abs."

"Please?"

"No."

"Gibbs the teams coming, it's only going to be the team, promise," she assured knowing that her idea of team and Gibbs were different. Gibbs had agreed at this knowing if it was just the team Abby would not invite the Director. Abby had smirked after he'd left the lab and headed upstairs to make her last case. Jenny as it turns out was much easier convinced that she had been expecting.

"Good food, Director."

"Abby, I eat take out."

"Watching Tony fall in a pond?"

"As amusing as that is I'm sure I can pass."

"Gibbs won't be there."

"What?"

"Gibbs, he's not coming, he stood us all up, so will you please come?" Abby begged and that as it turned out was the golden request.

--

So it was with great surprise to Jenny that she found her car would not start on Monday morning. She had tried to call Abby, called Tony who swore up and down he'd be there, when finally she had resorted to Ducky. Ducky was prompt and even stepped out of the car to get the door for. Unfortunately it seemed she would not be his only passenger. Seated on the far side of the back seat was Gibbs.

"Ducky," she greeted trying to sound happy.

"Car trouble must be contagious, Jethro here couldn't get his started either," Ducky informed seemingly oblivious to the tension that was now swirling in the car. She resisted the urge to say something.

"Hers probably won't start cause she never drives it herself," Gibbs sniped.

"Gee at least my car doesn't have to go in for work because I speed."

"If you learned how to drive..."

"Children," Ducky chided silencing the fight. "No fighting in the backseat." The two fell silent and Ducky tried to resist the smile at the duplicate expressions of stubbornness glaring back. The trip to the park was otherwise completed in silence and the two got resisting the urge to slam the doors to Ducky's classic Morgan. Jenny carried the plate of cookies Noemi had made and Gibbs brought the salad he'd bought at the store. The rest of the team was already gathered around the picnic benches, Tony searching through a bag of sports stuff, Ziva watching, McGee moving things and Abby grinning like a kid at Christmas. Palmer and Michelle Lee were there as well, along with Cynthia who Jenny was glad got an invite.

"Gibbs, Director!" Abby greeted bouncing up and down.

"Jenny's fine Abbs," she replied, hugging the younger woman lightly.

"I'm so glad you guys made it."

"What happened to just the team Abbs?" Gibbs inquired archly. Abby looped her arm through Jenny's and smiled sweetly.

"It is just the team, Gibbs." Gibbs snorted and retreated to where Tony was showing Ziva a soccer ball. Jenny meanwhile went to greet Cynthia and Michelle feigning interest in their conversation about soap operas. She hadn't had a chance to watch anything besides ZNN lately. Abby meanwhile was high fiving Ducky, thrilled that Part A of her plan had worked.

"Abby tread carefully my dear," Ducky cautioned. "You don't want them to figure out this has been a ploy."

"I don't know what you're talking about Ducky," Abby protested. "I thought it would be nice for everyone to spend time together outside the office."

"And they say Jenny was the politician," Ducky teased. Abby simply smirked and darted off to find McGee. She found him with Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva, arguing about things to do.

"Hey Abbs planned the shindig, she gets to pick," Tony announced much to the surprise of Gibbs and Ziva. "So Abby, you wanna play soccer?"

"Do I ever!" Abby exclaimed. "Jenny!" She called and the redhead turned coming over with the rest of the group.

"Abby?"

"You played soccer right?"

"A very long time ago."

"You beat Ziva though didn't you?"

"I was not familiar with the game at the time," Ziva inserted.

"Jenny how about you captain our team!" Abby suggested.

"I think I'll just watch," Jenny said.

"Afraid to get a little dirty Director," Gibbs commented.

"I would want to make the teams even, and we know you're not going to play Jethro," She shot back.

"Well shows how little you know me," he covered, even more angry that she had called his bluff. "Come on DiNozzo." Tony followed with McGee in tow.

"Girls vs Boys!" Abby exclaimed. "My favorite!"

"Tell you what," Gibbs said. "We'll even let you ladies have an extra player."

"No thank you," Jenny responded knowing something that no one else did.

"I think I'll sit out," Michelle said gently. "Soccer's really not my thing." Ducky sat down with her on the bench watching them set up the field. The game progressed rather smoothly as the ball was kicked along everyone rather surprised by the Director's ability to control the ball. When the game became more intense there became shouts of what to do and Gibbs was slowly losing patience as the girls scored another two goals.

"DiNozzo! Stop letting them smile their way past you!"

"It's not me Boss! It's Ziva's fault, she checked me!"

"I did not!" Ziva returned.

"Ziva no checking DiNozzo, you two can kiss and make up later," Jenny scolded lightly smirking as Gibbs choked on his next words. "What's the matter Jethro? Cat got your tongue?"

"You're just lucky we're going easy on you," he retorted.

"Easy? You mean you guys do have game?" She inquired teasingly getting the ball from Ziva and starting to make her way down the field.

"Boss, the Director!" Tony announced as he went to block Ziva. Gibbs was fine with this, there was no way he'd let her score with him. The rest of the team watched as the two maneuvered their way around each other. Jenny went to kick the goal and Gibbs blocked the kick getting to close to her in the process. She slipped his grasp and stole the ball back, scoring behind his back. The other women started cheered her on and she smiled brightly, half her happiness coming from getting the better of Gibbs again.

"Lucky shot," Gibbs snorted.

"Luck has very little to do with it," She replied sounding very self-assured.

"Can we do something more interesting now?" Ziva inquired catching the ball as it was tossed to her.

"Yea soccer's boring me," Abby agreed.

"What do you want to do?" McGee asked.

"Abbs...I was just getting the hang of this," Tony protested.

"I'm all for taking a break," Cynthia said breathing heavy. "So what next?"

"How about a race?" Abby suggested glancing at Ziva who nodded.

"A race?" Tony echoed as he'd practiced just a day before.

"What Tony you scared Ziva's going to beat you?" McGee taunted.

"I'll have you know McProbie that I won multiple cross country medals in high school."

"For what? The slowest one in the race?" Ziva inquired.

"Haha Zee-Vah...I'll take you."

"Be careful Tony," Jenny cautioned. "She's fast."

"How about you Director? I bet I could beat you."

"I'll take that bet Tony, if I can beat Gibbs, I can beat you," She replied.

"You beat the Boss in a race?"

"Once," Gibbs interrupted. "She was incredibly lucky."

"That's not the way I heard it, Jethro," Ducky corrected about to launch into the story only to be stopped by a Gibbs glare.

"Okay then! Two laps around the pond?"

"What ever you want Abbs," Gibbs sighed knowing protest was futile. So it was that Gibbs, Jenny, Tony, Ziva, McGee, Abby, and Palmer lined up with Cynthia, Michelle and Ducky watching on.

"On your marks, get set, go!" Cynthia said starting the race and watching as they all took off. McGee and Abby quickly fell behind with Palmer soon lagging as well. Tony and Ziva were neck and neck trailing only slightly behind Jenny and Gibbs. As the four passed over a particular narrow bridge they heard McGee and Palmer shouting.

"You did what!" Jenny and Gibbs were determined not to look back, knowing they would find out sooner or later. Turns out it was sooner, rather than later, especially as Tony and Ziva suddenly appeared alongside them, Ziva forcing Gibbs behind her to run alongside Jenny with Tony falling in pace next to Gibbs. Next thing Jenny knew she was losing her balance and was underwater. She quickly kicked her way to the surface to find Ziva and Tony still running farther down the path and found herself face to face with an equally soaked Gibbs.

"You pushed me in the pond?" She snapped.

"How could I? Ziva was next to you! More like they pushed us in! You two are dead!" He shouted across the water happy to find the two picking up pace faster. They turned to the opposite side to find Abby doubled over in laughter with Cynthia and Michelle trying to hide their giggles and Ducky looking amused. McGee and Palmer looked alarmed and kept glancing from each other to Abby. Jenny caught the movement.

"ABBY!" She yelled and found that only made the younger woman laugh more.

"Don't blame this on Abby," Gibbs interrupted.

"She did it!" Jenny assured and was backed up by Abby waving across the lake.

"You're grounded young lady!" Gibbs declared moving towards the bank trying to figure out a way to get out.

"Forget it Jethro, the bank is too steep on that side, we'll have to swim across." She pointed to a spot diagonally across where they could easily walk out.

"Didn't think you'd want to swim in something with snakes," he said and immediately regretted it as water was splashed into his face.

"Don't even joke about that!"

"I wasn't," he replied. She turned to look at him freezing in the water. "Jen..." He knew that look, she was not happy.

"Jethro," she cursed the fact that she sounded terrified. She was trying to hide it, but there was one thing that the fierce Director of NCIS could not handle and that was water snakes or snakes of any type really. She froze as she felt something against her bare ankles and surprised herself with the speed at which she attached herself to Gibbs. She felt his arm go around her.

"Relax."

"There's a snake there," she said.

"C'mon Jenny, swim with me, the snakes will think I'm better meal," he coaxed pulling her along with him. She finally got into the sync of swimming alongside him and he kept her talking about random things to keep her mind off the snakes. However he knew that was over when he spotted a rather large snake sitting on the bank. He had hoped she hadn't seen it but the tightening of her hand on his told him that was a foolish wish.

"Jethro..."

"Jenny, what do you want to do to get them back?"

"What?"

"Get the team back, what do you want to do?" He asked. "You know this was their plan."

"You're just figuring this out?"

"Oh no I figured it out when my hose was missing in the car, I suspect yours is too."

"I'm going to...I don't even know."

"C'mon you have to have an idea."

"Why me?"

"You're always the one with the plans."

"Well this time I'm fresh out."

"C'mon...desk work? Excess paper work? Kitties stuck in a tree? Weekend duty?"

"Yes to all the above," she agreed enjoying the plotting.

"Good and look we're here," he stood in the water and found it came to his shoulders. He held her till she could reach as well and they walked out of the water to find Cynthia, Michelle and Ducky waiting with towels.

"You two alright?" Ducky inquired.

"Fine Ducky," Jenny assured tiredly. "Just cold."

"Come, come my dear, lets get you both up to the benches." Ducky went to help Jenny but found Jethro wasn't about to let her go and they leaned on each other up to the tables. It made him wonder though if they were both a little bit more injured than he had suspected. Apparently the rest of the team was wondering the same thing and came closer.

"Boss you okay?" Tony asked.

"Jenny I'm sorry, we didn't mean to," Ziva said at the same time. The two simply glared in response and they backed away to let Abby try. Abby in all her usual happiness threw her arms around both of them.

"I was so worried!" She knew that was immediately the wrong response as they both grabbed her just as tightly.

"We're glad to hear that Abby," Jenny said sweetly. The two backed her up closer to the deeper part of the pond and pushed her in. She shrieked in surprise.

"Next time Abbs, don't plot," Gibbs commanded as he watched her come up from air splashing water everywhere.

"Gibbs!"

"Don't Abby, you're in big trouble young lady. DiNozzo!"

"Yes Boss?"

"Go get her out of there."

"You too Ziva," Jenny ordered. The two sighed and trudged into the water helping Abby out.

"Boss," McGee began hesitantly. He was silenced as Gibbs whacked him upside the head. "Right Boss." The team watched as Gibbs and Jenny continued past the picnic benches and towards the parking lot.

"Jethro how are you planning on getting home?" Ducky called after him.

"We're borrowing McGee's car, Abby can take him home," Gibbs announced holding up the keys to McGee's porsche. McGee shook his head trying to figure out how they got the keys from him but figuring it was better than being dumped in the pond.

"Better hope Gibbs isn't driving," Tony taunted.

"Shut it Tony," McGee snapped back.

"All of you just be quiet."

"Sorry Abby, but you can't say you are surprised. This is what happens when you pay us to go against the parents," Ziva informed.

"I should've known you would all be taking a part of this," Ducky sighed. "Cynthia?"

"Oh I just told the Director's detail she wouldn't need them," Cynthia owned up. Palmer and Michelle just shook their heads hoping that they wouldn't be in trouble with Gibbs or the Director come Tuesday morning.

"So much for the picnic," Abby pouted.

--

Gibbs and Jenny were pulling into his driveway just fifteen minutes later laughing. In hindsight they knew they should both be thanking Abby, but it seemed a bit trivial at the moment and they were still cold and wet. Gibbs helped Jenny out of the car locking McGee's car and walking through the front door she'd left open.

"You want coffee?" she called from the kitchen and he followed the sound of her voice.

"In a bit, you want a shower? I probably have something you could wear..." he paused hoping that hadn't come out wrong.

"I packed a change of clothes," she responded. "But I would love that shower." He nodded gesturing to the upstairs.

"You know where it is."

"You going to join me?" She inquired angelically.

"I thought you weren't 'speaking' to me."

"Hm...only at work," she assured wrapping her arms around his neck as he valiantly tried to keep his hands off her. "Besides you rescued me from the snake."

"So that puts a premature end to our 'fight'."

"The team ought to get something out the punishment they're going to receive. If Abby thinks she made Mommy and Daddy stop fighting, she'll be less vocal about the loss of Caff-Pows."

"Why did we agree to this anyway?"

"Cause Tony was betting on us again," She reminded kissing his cheek as she pulled away and went up stairs. Note to self, curb DiNozzo's betting habit. He wasn't sure he could handle another week of 'fighting' with Jenny just to make sure they weren't discovered. "Jethro..." her voice echoed down the stairs and he bolted for them feeling the burn in his knees from all the running he'd done. On second thought, let him bet. If Tony betting meant she stayed with him every night and wrapped herself up in his dress shirts instead of her robes, it was well worth the separation during the day. He reached for her just as she backed her way into the bathroom and let him ditch the shirt she'd dressed in. He was quite happy to find nothing but skin.

"You know Jenny, that pond might have had leeches," he whispered.

"Than we should probably check each other," she replied nibbling on his ear. "And for ticks. We were tussling in the grass." He agreed wrapping his arms around her, pressing her against the wall as they both began their investigations.

THE END


	8. Paper Anniversary

Author - MissJayne

Disclaimer - Not for profit, I own nothing.

* * *

Looking back, Leroy Jethro Gibbs could identify the moment his day began to fall apart.

It had started off fairly well. No major cases meant that his team was catching up on the assorted paperwork that regularly came their way. Tony and Ziva had been bickering like little children, McGee had disappeared to Abby's lab, and the Director had stayed out of his hair.

The latter he was particularly pleased with. Mainly because he wasn't dealing with Jenny.

For some reason that he couldn't quite wrap his head around, Jenny had decided to take a day off. Rather than leaving him in charge, his lover had ordered her sister to go in her place.

Sometimes it helped to have an identical sister. It helped even more if she was CIA.

Unfortunately, she wasn't very fond of him. Lily had a nasty habit of being overprotective and an even worse habit of playing mind games. He'd been on the receiving end of a few of her games, and tried to avoid them whenever he could.

This is how Gibbs knew the moment Ducky appeared in the squad room that his day was about to go horribly wrong.

"Good morning Jethro," his old friend greeted him, looking very grim.

"Duck," he nodded back. "What's wrong?"

"It appears…" Ducky paused for a moment. "That my Morgan has been towed."

"Appears? Why would someone tow your Morgan?" Gibbs asked, glancing over at Tony and Ziva. They both looked as puzzled as him.

"I received a letter just now telling me that it was being impounded due to a mass of unpaid parking tickets. When I went to the parking garage, it had gone."

Gibbs couldn't make sense of it. Ducky not paying parking tickets? Ducky never got any in the first place.

"Maybe we could track it?" Tony suggested.

Evidently his team were as surprised as he was.

"_Do _you have any unpaid tickets?" Gibbs questioned.

Ducky drew himself up to his full height. "I have never had one in my life. Never!"

Gibbs wondered briefly whether Lily had something to do with it, before quashing the thought. She didn't like classic cars. And why would she want a Morgan? Her chosen car needed to go fast, not look good.

"I'll go and ask Abby if she can find out where your car is now," Tony offered, already edging that way. "Perhaps the Probie can figure out why it was taken."

"Go," Gibbs ordered. He turned to his friend. "It's probably a mix up somewhere."

Ducky nodded. "Of course. I hope Abigail can shed some light on this matter."

* * *

Tony DiNozzo smiled as the elevator doors slid open. The pounding music had reached his ears from the previous floor, and he wondered how long it would take for someone to complain about it. He doubted anyone would; everyone loved Abby.

It felt so good to escape from the mountains of paperwork for a few minutes. And while he was here…

"Yes!" came a scream from Abby, and he darted into the lab to see what was going on. The sight that greeted him made him laugh.

Abby and McGee sat among piles of Lucky Charms; open boxes littering the floor and cereal strewn everywhere. Right in the centre, the Goth was holding a small plastic children's toy aloft as though it would save the world.

"This is not what it looks like," McGee protested as he scrambled to his feet.

"If it looks like Abby's just found the one toy to complete her collection, then what is it really?" he shot back.

McGee's mouth opened and closed a few times, before Abby came to his rescue by standing up herself.

"McGee was helping me out with a very important experiment," she told him, a slight smile on her face.

"And what would that be?"

"The manufacturers claim that this toy," she waved it in the air, "occurs once in every thirty packets."

"So you bought thirty packets and opened them all?" Tony guessed.

"Exactly! And I only found one."

Tony fervently wished that Gibbs would arrive and take in the scene for himself. However, the boss had a talent for not appearing when he was wanted, and vice versa.

"How can we help you?" Abby's voice bought him back.

"Ducky's car has been towed. Could you find out what happened to it?"

"Of course." Abby looked shocked that anyone could even think of hurting Ducky in any way, shape or form, and whirled round to face her computers.

"But first…"

Abby whirled back.

"I have a challenge for you two."

Abby looked delighted, while McGee looked nervous.

"I overheard the Director and Agent Wofford discussing which of you two is the quicker hacker earlier."

"That would be me," McGee interjected.

"Hey!" Abby complained, punching him in the arm.

"Hang on," Tony added, determined to explain everything before he went home. He knew from experience that it was better to stop them sooner rather than later.

The other two nodded and calmed down.

"The Director also mentioned that she wanted two tickets to the National Ballet this evening. Didn't mention why she needed two…" He waggled his eyebrows playfully. "Therefore, you have a challenge."

"We have to hack tickets for her," Abby deduced.

Tony nodded. "One each. First to put the ticket on her desk wins."

McGee started to look very confident. "You can't run in those platforms, Abby," he pointed out.

"That's not fair!"

"Take them off?" Tony suggested.

Abby glared at him.

"Keep them on if you like."

She smiled wickedly. "You've started a pool, haven't you Tony?"

"Naturally." He smiled again. "I win fifty bucks if you beat the Probie."

Abby and McGee shared looks.

"Sure," they agreed at the same time.

"I'll count you in," Tony offered, shifting so that he was in between them. "Three, two one…"

* * *

Gibbs let his gaze drift to the catwalk. The redhead stood up there, deep in conversation on her phone. He couldn't quite tell whether she was talking as Jenny or Lily, but knew there were few differences between them. He was one of the few who could tell them apart.

He wanted his Jenny back. It had only been half a day, but he missed having her around. He missed winding her up, arguing with her, their easy banter, just having her nearby. If he tried winding Lily up, she was likely to not only shoot him, but burn his boat down as well.

He wasn't making _that_ mistake again.

Jenny meant a lot to him, and he was trying to make this relationship work again. They still had their rocky moments, but they worked around them. His team were oblivious to the changes that had taken place between them, and he was worried that Lily might try to clue them in. It would be very like her.

The redhead finally finished her call, and started to make her way down the stairs. He heard the familiar ding of the elevator, and glanced over at the doors behind her.

McGee emerged, sprinting across the catwalk, clutching something in his hand. A few seconds later, a spinning largish grey projectile connected with the back of his head and he fell to the floor.

It took the telltale fart to alert Gibbs to Bert the Hippo's current whereabouts, and the likely projectile thrower.

Abby left the elevator and tottered over to McGee's side. She was also clutching something in her hand. McGee tried to get up, but Abby kneed him. Judging by the speed with which he went down, Gibbs guessed she had hit something valuable. The Goth scooped up Bert, before heading in the direction of the Director's office.

The redhead reappeared, stopping at Ziva's desk and smiling softly.

"Director," Ziva greeted her.

"I've accidently locked myself out of the safe in my office," Lily told her. "I really need to get in there, but I'm worried about breaking a nail."

"I will break in for you," Ziva smiled. "It should not take too long."

"Toda," Lily called after the Israeli, before turning her attention to Gibbs.

He mused on her actions. He knew that Jenny had had the code changed on her safe the previous day, in an attempt to keep Lily out, but Lily was more than able to break in herself. Why involve Ziva? Unless it was a ploy to clear the squad room…

He realized that it was too late to make a run for it. Lily had stopped in front of his desk and was quirking an eyebrow, a classic sign that she was amused. She was definitely up to something.

"Agent Gibbs," she greeted him coolly.

"Agent Shepard," he countered.

"As your Director for the day, I have a job for you."

"When Jenny returns tomorrow, she can undo anything you do."

"Spoilsport."

"Control freak."

She glared at him for a moment. "You are on protection detail tonight."

"Get Tony to do it."

"It's an important function," she continued, acting as though he hadn't spoken. "You'll need to wear a suit."

"I am not wearing a suit."

"Either you attend, or I'll give Tony some of those sonnets you wrote to my sister."

Gibbs winced. She was perfectly capable of carrying out her threat. "Fine. When and where?"

She flashed a triumphant grin at him. "Six. Jenny's place."

He rolled his eyes, deciding to ask Jenny to locate the sonnets for him later.

Lily turned around, heading back towards the stairs. Gibbs watched as Ziva passed her.

"Beat your personal best?" the redhead inquired.

"No, but your safe is very easy to break into," Ziva replied. "You should get a more secure one."

"Thanks, I will."

He watched as Lily returned to her office. McGee picked himself off the floor as she went past, and staggered down the stairs to his desk. Tony reappeared a short time afterwards, and Gibbs found himself refereeing several arguments. Truth be told, he was almost looking forward to protecting Lily if it kept him away from this lot.

* * *

Gibbs was feeling homicidal as he rang the bell to Jenny's house later that evening. He'd seen Ducky's Morgan parked a short distance away, and had a funny feeling that he knew who had arranged to have it towed.

Lily opened the door, gun in hand. He didn't bat an eyelid.

Instead, he pointed at the car. "You did what?!"

She grinned back and tossed him the keys. "I believe it's your one year anniversary," she replied.

He stared at her. Lily's logic was often roundabout instead of linear, and he knew she would explain. She pressed something into his hand and he looked at it.

"Two tickets to the National Ballet tonight," she informed him. "And…" She held out her hand once again and he noticed a beautiful pair of green earrings in the centre.

"These were in the safe," he guessed.

"Jenny's wearing the matching necklace. She'll like it if you give her those. Take her in the Morgan, and I'll return it to Doctor Mallard tomorrow."

"You could have asked Ducky for his car."

"And been faced with a lot of unnecessary questions. I chose to call in a favor instead."

"How much effort did you go to?"

Her grin widened. "I was merely practicing, LJ. Would you prefer I practice on civilians?"

He tried to glare at her, but found it difficult. It didn't help that she was walking away from him, towards a car he recognized as her own. "I'm off duty tonight, I take it?" he called after her.

"This is certainly off duty. And if you need me to cover for Jenny tomorrow…"

Her laughter rang in his ears as he closed the front door.

* * *


	9. You Did What?

Title – You Did What?

Author - ncisali

* * *

'You did what?' Special Agent Gibbs is looking less than pleased as he glares at Director Jennifer Shepard while she sits at her desk. The Director is also his new wife and he is hoping he can use this relationship to get him out of this.

'You heard, I've made you captain of the NCIS 5-a-side soccer team, we're to take on the FBI, ATF and Homeland Security in a tournament a week on Saturday.' The Director is not going to give in on this although she secretly agrees with Gibbs that playing soccer against their sister agencies may not be a great idea. However, she had the honour of her agency to uphold and the other agency Directors had forced her hand by intimating that NCIS would not be able to compete with them and she had risen to their bait.

'I've never played 5-a-side soccer, nor has my team.' Gibbs tries to reason with Jenny.

'Well, I'm sure there is someone in the agency who has, you'll just have to get them on your team.'

'I don't know the rules.' Gibbs continues giving excuses.

'Look Jethro you are not going to get out of this, it will help inter-agency relations After the tournament there is to be a picnic.'

'So you're saying that you expect the other agencies to stick around when they've just been humiliated by NCIS.' In his own mind Gibbs cannot see any of the agencies playing nice with each other when they've just been kicked around a soccer pitch.

'And no doubt you will be the one doing the humiliating. I've e-mailed you the rules of the competition, let me know who will be in your team by tomorrow afternoon,' the Director turns to her computer and starts to answer an e-mail. She looks up to smile at her husband, and knows that she's won this battle but she can always make it up to him later.

Gibbs walks out of her office and down to the bullpen, the sight of his wife's smile lingers in his mind as he knows what it promises tonight, maybe this won't be too bad after all, he can get Tony to do a lot of the work, he was a PE major at Ohio State University he can now put that to some use.

'Dinozzo I'm forwarding you an e-mail, I want you to deal with it,' Gibbs orders Tony.

'Sure Boss', Tony replies before opening up and reading the e-mail.

After reading the rules of the competition Tony realises that he will need to find 8 players two of whom must be women. The players' names must be submitted by the next day. He notes that Gibbs has already been made playing Captain by the Director, so he wants 7 more players (although he'll play so that meant only 6 players to find). That should be easy enough he thought, all he has to do is send an e-mail out to everyone in the office to ask for volunteers and get each person to give a short resumé of their experience then he could pick the team.

Tony writes and sends his e-mail expecting to get instant responses from his colleagues.

'Probie, I don't want you to reply to the e-mail I've just sent unless you tell me you played soccer for MIT.'

'Tony I had better things to do at MIT than play soccer.'

'Like what, I bet you never had a spring break at Panama City.'

'I was Captain of the chess team.'

'When we have to play the FBI at chess I will let the Director know.'

Ziva was reading the e-mail from Tony.

'So NCIS are to play our sister agencies at soccer, and each team must have at least two women with one woman on the pitch at all times. Have you ever played 5-a-side soccer Tony?', Ziva asks.

'No but I am a natural sportsman, it can't be that difficult, have you ever played soccer?'

'Yes, but I won't be able to join your team I will be busy that day.'

'By tomorrow morning I expect my inbox will be full of replies from people wanting to be part of our team.'

Ziva is not so sure 'Tell me Tony, why would anyone give up their Saturday to be kicked off the pitch by the brutes of FBI and have Gibbs shouting at them for a whole day whilst they are off duty.'

'Well Ziva you have forgotten one important point _I will be there_ and I expect many of the women in this agency to be queuing up hoping I'll teach them the finer points of soccer.'

'In your dreams Tony', Ziva replies.

McGee laughs only to earn himself a headslap from Tony.

'I was thinking any woman that doesn't make the team can be a cheerleader, perhaps you could be the head cheerleader Ziva', Tony asks with a lascivious grin.

Ziva's reply consists of a stapler whistling past Tony's left ear and hitting the divider behind him with a loud thump.

Tony spends the rest of the day checking his e-mails and wandering around the building trying to get people to agree to put their name down for the team. He ends up down in the lab with Abby.

'C'mon Abbs, please do this for me.' Tony has been reduced to begging.

'No way Tony, have you seen some of those female FBI agents a lot of them look like Russian weightlifters, male Russian weight lifters'. Abby will do almost anything for Tony but playing soccer against the FBI is not one of them.

'For Gibbs then, do this for Gibbs, he is the team Captain.' Tony is not going to give up.

'If I am not doing anything I may come and watch you play.' Abby relents but she is not going to play soccer.

On the journey home that evening, Jen has been quieter than usual trying to gauge Jethro's mood following her announcement of the tournament. She slips her hand onto his leg letting her fingers gently caress the inside of his thigh as he drives.

'Do you want to skip dinner and have an early night, Jen', Jethro asks as he shifts slightly in his seat.

'Mmm' Jen replies by moving her hand from his leg to the back of his head where she softly strokes his neck.

As soon as they walk through the front door, Jethro takes Jenny's bags from her hand and drops them on the floor. He leads her up the stairs and into their bedroom, once there he gathers her in his arms and begins to kiss her. Tonight apart from giving his wife exactly what she loves he's hoping to persuade her to forget the soccer tournament.

Jenny knows exactly what Jethro is up to but although he is a wonderful lover she reckons she has more control than her husband, she pushes him away a little.

'Jethro I know exactly what you're doing.'

Her husband doesn't answer but continues to kiss her, he leaves no part of her face untouched his lips cover her eyes, her cheeks, her nose, her lips. He licks and nibbles his way down her jaw line to her throat. Jen relaxes in to his touch and lets her hand mover to his belt, she quickly unbuckles it, releases the button on his trousers. She can feel his excitement and lets him push her onto the bed.

Jethro undoes the buttons on Jen's blouse while his lips move over her exposed skin, soon Jen is naked from the waist up, he sits up and pulls his shirt off over his head. As he looks down into his wife's face he can't help but realise what a lucky man he is, this woman was made for him. He whispers her name as he caresses her body, he can feel her responding to his touch and he reaches under her skirt to remove her underwear. Jen has been returning his caresses her hands have not stopped moving over his chest and abs, as he moves down to kiss her again, she quickly reverses their position so she's on top, she leans back a little so she can push Jethro's boxers and trousers down past his knees.

He looks up at her face waiting for her to continue

'Jen, please..'

'What Jethro..'Jen lies on her husband kissing his chest and gently grazes his nipples with her teeth.

'Jen, now. I need you now..'

'Are you going to play soccer?', Jen has him in the palm of her hand.

Uhh, yes …please.'

With that Jen sinks down onto him and a few moments later they both reach climax.

After Jethro's breathing has returned to normal he looks at his wife who is lying in his arms with a very satisfied look on her face.

'Jen, what you just did is not fair.'

'Jethro, please do not deny that you were going to try and persuade me to let you off this match by doing exactly what I've just done to you.'

Jethro decides to stay quiet and just hugs his wife pulling her to his chest.

'I don't know why, but I love you Jen.'

The next morning Jenny is lying in bed as Jethro returns from his run, his t-shirt is sticking to his body, his hair is plastered to his head and sweat is pouring down his face, he smiles at her,

'Gonna join me in the shower', he says as he makes his way into the bathroom.

Jenny grins to herself, why wouldn't she want to watch her husband getting hot and sweaty running round a football pitch, she really is turned on by Jethro when he's done a little physical exercise. Her only problem was going to be how she would keep her hands off him during the picnic after the football match. She gets out of bed as she hears the water running and joins her husband before they have to go to work.

By lunchtime Tony has received only one reply to his e-mail and that is from Special Agent Balboa who occasionally plays soccer with the dads from his son's football team.

'Can you e-mail me the names of the players for the soccer match Tony', Gibbs asks after lunch.

'We have a problem there boss, we only have three players me, you and Balboa.'

'OK add, Ziva, Abby, McGee and Palmer to the team, we can manage with 7 players.'

'Yes, Boss will you be telling Abby and Palmer that they're in the team'. Tony replies, he knows that Ziva and McGee are listening to the conversation he's having with Gibbs. They don't look happy but they haven't said anything.

Gibbs replies by staring at Tony.

'OK, Boss I'll tell them.'

Gibbs sends the e-mail to the Director detailing the team; while Tony goes down to tell Abby and Palmer that they've made the cut.

Palmer accepts without too much protest because Tony has told him it's a direct order from Gibbs, Abby is not so easily convinced. She rings up Gibbs, 'Gibbs I do not want to play soccer.'

'Will you do it for me Abby, I could really do with your help.'

'All you had to do is ask, I'll be there,' Abby replies with a smile.

Tony listens to the call, 'Hey Abbs why did you have to phone him I told you we needed you.'

'Tony sometimes you just need to hear it from the organ grinder.'

It was decided that the soccer team would have a training session on the Saturday at the local park, although the team were not that pleased to see a rare Saturday off being spoilt by having to turn up at 8 o'clock in the morning. Gibbs had agreed with Balboa that because Balboa was the only one with experience he would run the training session.

It soon became clear that Palmer was going to be a liability on the pitch in any position. McGee and Abby were both surprisingly good goalkeepers, Gibbs, Tony and Ziva all natural athletes picked up the necessary skills quickly. Gibbs decided that Palmer would have to be sub and used only in emergencies, McGee and Abby could alternate in goal and the rest of the team play in the outfield.

The Saturday of the tournament comes round all too quickly, Ducky has agreed to be the Doctor on duty for the day, he will be responsible for all four teams although Jenny is the nominated first aider for Team NCIS.

There are only two changing rooms so the men of all four agencies change in one and the women in the other. As Abby and Ziva look round the changing room, they realise that some of the women players are bigger than Gibbs, they walk out of the changing room to find the rest of their team and wander over to Gibbs who is looking very relaxed as he warms up.

The draw has been made each team plays the other once and the team with the most points wins the tournament, if two teams end up with the same points there is to be a penalty shoot out. NCIS play the ATF first, then Homeland Security and lastly the FBI.

As the games start it soon becomes clear that ATF are going to be the whipping boys, NCIS thrash them 8-0 with Tony and Gibbs both scoring 3 goals each. McGee and Abby spend some time in goal but have nothing much to do.

The match against Homeland Security is a lot tougher although they do not have as much skill as the NCIS players they make up for this with some very tough tackling. Tony goes down under a particularly rough challenge and the referee calls on Jenny to administer some first aid. Gibbs is stood over Tony as Jenny gently rubs liniment into his calf,

'Thanks Jenny,' Tony says,'the brute caught my thigh as well can you look at that.'

Before Jenny can move Tony has received a head slap from Gibbs and been hauled to his feet.

'You're fine Dinozzo you don't need any more treatment,' Gibbs says while glaring at both him and Jenny.

Jenny smirks at her husband and walks quickly back to the touchline so the game can restart. It's a very close match but NCIS win 3-2.

While waiting for their final match to start, the team are sat around on the grass surrounding Ducky who is sat on a deckchair. Jenny is massaging Gibbs legs and enjoying every moment, she leans up to kiss him and whispers in his ear. He smirks back and lets his hand run down her back and brush over the top of her legs.

The match begins against the FBI, the winner of this match will win the tournament. Jenny stands on the touchline with eyes only for her husband, he scores the first goal and turns to look at her with a broad grin on his face. It is all Jenny can do to stop herself running on the pitch to give him a big hug. She decides that no matter what happens she is going to make their excuses at the end of the match and go straight home. The rest of the day is going to be spent making love to her husband.

Tobias Fornell of the FBI joins Jenny, 'your husband is not a bad player but I didn't expect him to turn up for something like this', he says.

'Oh, he enjoys humiliating the FBI and this is an opportunity he couldn't miss,' Jenny replies.

'The match isn't over yet.' Fornell answers.

It's a tough game as the sides are evenly matched it's 1-1 at half time. Unfortunately for NCIS Tony manages to get himself sent off at the beginning of the second half and a penalty is awarded to the FBI. Abby is in goal and before the penalty is taken Gibbs walks up to Abby and whispers in her ear while looking at the FBI penalty taker the whole time, Abby nods as Gibbs walks away. The FBI player places the ball on the penalty spot runs up to take the penalty, Abby dives to her right and makes a brilliant save.

Even Ducky is shouting 'Well played Abby' as she runs straight into Gibbs arms to the cheers of the NCIS supporters.

Being one player down means the rest of the team have to work harder and even Gibbs is getting tired. But Gibbs being Gibbs never gives up and just before the final whistle he receives the ball just inside the FBI half he runs towards the goal and then shoots, GOAL! NCIS win the game 2-1.

The presentations are made and the teams make there way to the changing rooms to shower.

Team NCIS walk over to Ducky who has the trophy.

'Hey Ducky,' Tony greets him, 'Where's Gibbs he wasn't in the changing rooms.'

'I saw him and Jenny walking towards the changing rooms a few minutes ago, they can't have gone far.'

The picnic has now begun and the team sit around chatting, there is still no sign of Gibbs and Jenny although Gibbs truck is still in the car park. Fornell walks over and addresses the team,

'I guess your lead agent is teaching your Director a new type of ball game, they were heading for the empty changing rooms a few minutes ago,' he says with a smirk. 'Anyway, well played everyone, I'm off now give Gibbs and Jenny my best wishes.'

Half an hour later Tony looks up to see both Jenny and Gibbs coming out of the changing rooms together. They are holding hands, Gibbs is still looking flushed from the match and Jenny looks, well Tony has seen that look on a woman many times before and he is in no doubt as to what they have been up to.

As Gibbs and Jenny join the group, Tony speaks up 'Did you have a good game boss?'


End file.
